Chase marked the grand opening of its first Community Center branch in Texas – and the fourth nationwide – to provide greater access to financial services and education for the people of Oak Cliff and southern Dallas.
The Oak Cliff branch is part of Chase’s recently announced $30 billion commitment to advance racial equity and bring more economic opportunity to diverse and underserved communities. Built out with a new community “living room” area and a tech bar, the branch will provide:
- Workshops to build financial health- including sessions on saving, budgeting and building credit
- Mentoring for entrepreneurs and access to a pop-up space to display and sell their merchandise
- Free space and WiFi for community groups and neighbors to use for remote learning and work
“We’re moving beyond community banking to community building,” said Lawrence Bailey, Chase’s Dallas-based Head of Community and Business Development for Chase Consumer Bank nationwide. “We want to help people build a strong financial foundation so they can thrive and build wealth.”
Focus on serving the neighborhood
The branch includes a full- time Community Manager – a new role created by the bank – who will engage the community and businesses to increase awareness of available resources, and help connect them with financial health tools, products and services. The Community Manager will establish free interactive programs on topics such as budget building, home buying tips, how to fund a small business and others.
Oak Cliff’s Community Manager Terri Thomas, Branch Manager Shelia Draper and staff have already provided financial workshops through local churches and local schools, provided 500 pair of winter gloves for neighbors, donated Valentine gift bags for local seniors and care bags for patients at the local Veterans Administration hospital.
