NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Urban American, an owner and manager of workforce housing apartment properties in the New York area, has partnered with The Street Academy for Financial Literacy, a Brooklyn-based grass roots organization that runs financial literacy classes for underserved communities.

The joint venture started a pilot program on August 8 in one of Urban American‘s Brooklyn properties to offer free classes for residents of their buildings and communities in the hope of building a new model for outreach in urban areas.

The program takes place in the community room of 25-35 Tennis Court in Brooklyn and teaches basic finance concepts, earnings and savings, and managing individual stock portfolios to residents and members of the neighborhood.

The joint hope of Street Academy and Urban American is to expand programs to the tenants of other large apartment buildings and complexes that Urban American owns and operates as well as other landlords in the city.

The partnership allows the program to reach past the walls of high schools and community centers (the typical environments for their program) and target at-risk kids and adults in the easiest to find after-school and weekend spot: the common room of their building.

The Street Academy was founded in 2004 and is a grass roots initiative that aims to create a paradigm shift toward money and investing in urban communities. Through education TSA seeks to correct the missteps of past generations, and instill the confidence and know-how to effectively manage and grow the finances of economically disadvantaged people. Founded on the principle of financial empowerment through education, TSA believes that education and effective financial planning can significantly improve people’s lives. By enhancing their understanding of credit, savings, and investing TSA lays the groundwork for a lifetime of sound decision making and responsible money management.

To sign up for a TSA class call Vaughn Caldon at
 vaughn.caldon@thestreetacademy.org or call (917) 740-0075.

SOURCE Urban American