Fed Communities – PHENND

Webinar: Understanding Benefits Cliffs: Evidence, Insights, and Open Questions – Aug 6

hillarya — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:05:02 +0000

Benefits cliffs are increasingly recognized as a critical barrier to economic mobility in communities across the country. When a raise, promotion, or new job pushes an individual or family above eligibility thresholds for public benefits, the result can be a net financial loss. This creates difficult choices for workers, employers, and policymakers.

As awareness of benefits cliffs grows, so does momentum around research, policy innovation, and community-driven solutions. This webinar will bring together researchers and practitioners to explore the latest evidence on how benefits cliffs affect workforce participation and economic opportunity, highlight promising strategies emerging from innovative pilots, and identify priorities for future research.

During this event, participants will learn more about

key research findings on how benefits cliffs affect employment and advancement decisions for workers and job seekers,
learnings from innovative pilot program designed to reduce the impact of benefits cliffs, and
a research agenda that can inform more effective, equitable solutions for policymakers, community-based organizations, and employers.

Date and Time: August 6, 3:00–4:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Webinar: Highlights from the 2025 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking – Jun 4

hillarya — Thu, 14 May 2026 15:46:27 +0000

During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors will share key findings from the annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), which was fielded in October 2025 and was released on May 13, 2026. The survey is a key tool for measuring the economic well-being of U.S. households and identifying potential risks to their finances.

In addition to monitoring household financial circumstances, the survey explores a range of related topics. In 2025, it introduced new questions about the use of generative AI at work, alongside expanded modules on Buy Now, Pay Later, financial fraud, homeowners insurance, and student loan debt. The survey also continues to track other financial topics such as access to credit, housing affordability, child care costs, student loans, economic hardship, and banking.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists during a live Q&A session, bringing deeper context and clarity to the findings. We’d like to invite you to submit questions ahead of time. Please email our event organizers at fedcommunities@clev.frb.org.

Not able to join us? Be sure to register to receive the video, audio recording, transcript, and related materials following the program.

Date and Time: June 4, 2026, 3:00-4:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Connecting Communities Webinar: Bank On and Reaching the Unbanked in our Communities – May 7

hillarya — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:26:20 +0000

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), approximately 5.6 million households are without a checking or savings account – otherwise known as “unbanked.” Unbanked households lack a secure and safe place to store their money and can miss out on interest gains and credit-building opportunities.

Join us for a dynamic webinar featuring leaders from organizations focused on advancing banking access to households through safe and affordable accounts via the Bank On program. Panelists will also explore findings from the most recent Bank On National Data (BOND) Hub, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

This interactive conversation will highlight:

the benefits of having a bank account,
lessons learned in reaching unbanked and underbanked households,
strategies for building strong partnerships between financial institutions, local governments, and nonprofit organizations, and
how data can inform access to banking.

Whether you’re a financial institution, policymaker, nonprofit leader, researcher, or advocate, this session will provide practical insights to advancing financial access in your community.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists during a live Q&A session, bringing deeper context and clarity to the findings.

Related resources:

Speakers:

Jeff Langkamp,,Senior Vice President, Bank Five Nine
Lisa Locke, Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
David Rothstein, Senior Principal. Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund
Erin Waddell, Chair, Bank On
LouisvilleSergio Galeano, Community and Economic Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, moderator

Not able to join us? Be sure to register to receive the video, audio recording, transcript, and related materials following the program.

Date and Time: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:00–4:00 PM

Webinar: The Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023 – Jun 20

hillarya — Tue, 21 May 2024 19:00:25 +0000

The Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking is the main survey from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors for tracking the financial circumstances of low- and moderate-income families and potential risks to their financial health. This year’s survey continues to track key topics related to financial outcomes, such as the effects of inflation on household finances, emergency savings, housing, returns to education, and retirement. New topics have been added on food sufficiency, caregiving, employment of those with a previous arrest or conviction, and homeowners insurance.

Federal Reserve Board of Governors researchers will share findings from the survey on trends in financial well-being and answer your questions on the financial conditions among low- and moderate-income populations based on the survey results.

Date and Time: June 20, 2024, 3:00–4:00 PM

Learn more and register.

The Federal Reserve’s Connecting Communities webinar series provides timely information on community and economic development issues. For past events and more information about the series, visit Fed Communities.

Virtual Event: Building Capacity of Community-Based Organizations: Lessons Learned from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program – Feb 15

hillarya — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:50:55 +0000

Join us for a virtual event. Participation is free for this Connecting Communities webinar.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 the U.S. Department of Treasury deployed $46 billion to support housing stability. Without existing local and state infrastructure to quickly deploy these federal rental assistance dollars, community-based organizations (CBOs) across the country played a key role to help ensure the funding reached households that needed it most.

The infrastructure these organizations set up to deploy these funds took many different forms. In this session, experts will shed light on the innovative strategies employed by three CBOs nationwide. Gain valuable insights into guiding principles for effectively dispersing funding to underserved communities and strategies for building and strengthening the capacity of CBOs.

Date and Time: Thursday, February 15, 2024, 3:00–4:00 PM

Learn more and register.

New Report: Worker Voices 2023 Report

hillarya — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:47:31 +0000

Capturing the full picture of the labor market means looking beyond the numbers to consider the experience of everyday workers and job seekers. Worker Voices provides a unique view into how job seekers and workers in lower-wage roles navigated the labor market at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and through recovery—and how it changed what they expect from a job. Learning about these workers’ first-hand experiences can provide depth and breadth to our collective understanding of economic conditions and labor market dynamics.

Learn more and access the report.