Juntos Avanzamos Designation Brings New Financial Inclusion Milestone to Little Rock, AR

On Tuesday, May 7, Hope Credit Union (HOPE) was joined by local business leaders, representatives from the Mexican Consulate and other partners to celebrate its national Juntos Avanzamos designation from Inclusiv for its commitment to financial inclusion for the Hispanic community.

Inclusiv, a national association with a mission to help low- and moderate-income people and communities achieve financial independence through credit unions, recognized HOPE’s initiative to close financial service gaps within the Hispanic community through the financial institution’s hiring of bilingual staff, strategic outreach, development of special financial products and bilingual marketing materials. 

HOPE is the first financial institution in Little Rock to receive the designation. The ceremony at the Little Rock branch included the installation of the Juntos Avanzamos flag as a symbol of HOPE’s ongoing commitment to financial inclusion of minority populations.

“We congratulate Hope FCU for bringing their groundbreaking financial inclusion work to the Hispanic community in Little Rock. This development recognizes that low income and financially underserved populations, African Americans, immigrants, and Latinos, face similar challenges and have the same need to access responsible, equitable products and services to foster asset building and achieve financial security,” said Pablo DeFilippi, SVP of Membership and Network Engagement for Inclusiv.

“Inclusiv is excited about these efforts to bring the HOPE community development and financial inclusion model to Latinos in Arkansas. We look forward to working more closely with HOPE to expand access to economic opportunity for all,” said DeFilippi.

“For 25 years, HOPE has expanded financial access to low-wealth and distressed communities in the Deep South. In doing this work, we recognized the needs that exist within the region’s growing Hispanic and immigrant population and sought culturally-relevant solutions to address those opportunity gaps,” said HOPE CEO Bill Bynum. “We’re honored to receive the Juntos Avanzamos designation from Inclusiv, and we know it will support efforts to broaden outreach in the Little Rock community.”

The Hispanic population in the United States is underserved in regard to access to financial education and financial products and services. To receive the Juntos Avanzamos designation, an institution must go through a rigorous application process and demonstrate strategic efforts to equip the Hispanic population with safe, affordable financial products and services that address their needs. This includes having flexible lending policies, customer service that is accessible to Spanish-speakers, and a commitment to treat all members with respect.

“Southwest Little Rock has a large Hispanic population,” said Mike Ramirez, HOPE’s Market Leader for the Arkansas Region, and a native of Mexico. “We have bilingual staff members who speak their language and understand the unique challenges our Hispanic customers face. Our mission is to reach out to all underserved residents and help them be successful.”

HOPE has partnered with numerous organizations, including the Mexican Consulate, to offer free financial literacy workshops. HOPE also developed a mortgage product for consumers who have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a social security number.

Little Rock entrepreneur, Atillio Garcia, who received a commercial loan from HOPE, said it is clear that HOPE cares about the Hispanic community.

“I was attracted to HOPE because of their Hispanic program,” Garcia said. “I felt very comfortable working with the team because we could discuss the loan in Spanish. HOPE not only took care of everything for my loan, they showed that they care about us.”