Build Wealth Minnesota Expands Partnership With the City of Minneapolis for Workforce Development

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Eric Howell

A Discussion with Eric Howell, Senior Innovation & Expansion Director, Build Wealth Minnesota

Build Wealth Minnesota partners with local communities and businesses to provide families with supportive financial programs and services. We talked to Eric Howell, Sr. Innovation & Expansion Director of Build Wealth Minnesota about the innovative partnership with the City of Minneapolis to provide an integrated model for finding a career and building the financial stability to sustain it. They’ve helped over 20,000 families create brighter, more stable financial futures - and yours could be next. Follow their news here and tell people in your network of their programs that deliver.

Q: How did the partnership between Build Wealth Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis come about? What are the shared goals?

A: Build Wealth Minnesota has partnered with the City of Minneapolis for many years through housing and community development initiatives. This new partnership is exciting because it's our first opportunity to bring that same relationship into workforce development.

The City saw the value of combining two of Build Wealth's signature programs, PEEP (Pathways to increase Employment & Earnings Potential) and the Financial Stabilization Plan (FSP), into one integrated model. PEEP helps people build meaningful careers, while FSP helps them build financial stability. Together, they're the heartbeat of Build Wealth Minnesota.

Our shared goal is simple: help Minneapolis residents earn more, strengthen their financial future, and create opportunities that last well beyond their next paycheck. 

Q: Why is it important to connect career development with financial empowerment?

A: We've learned something over the years: getting a job is only part of the journey.

A better career can increase your income, but if you don't know how to manage that income, improve your credit, reduce debt, or build savings, it's hard to create lasting stability. That's why PEEP and FSP were designed to work together.

One helps people increase their earning potential. The other helps them turn those earnings into long-term financial progress. When those two journeys happen together, lives begin to change.

Q: What community needs were you hoping to address through this collaboration?

A: We wanted to look beyond employment and focus on the whole person.

Many people aren't just looking for a job, they're looking for stability, confidence, and a clear direction. They may need workforce coaching, financial education, support services, or access to training that opens new career opportunities.

That's what makes this partnership different. We're not simply helping someone find work. We're helping them build a stronger foundation for the future.

Q: How does this partnership fit into Build Wealth Minnesota's broader mission?

A: It fits naturally because it's exactly what Build Wealth Minnesota has always been about.

Our mission has always focused on helping individuals and families build stronger financial futures. PEEP and FSP have been at the center of that work for years. One focuses on careers and increasing earnings. The other focuses on financial stability and wealth-building.

This partnership allows us to bring those proven programs together in a way that creates even greater impact for Minneapolis residents. It's another way of helping people move from surviving to thriving.

Q: How does the program help participants move beyond simply finding a job to building a sustainable career?

A: One of the first things I tell participants is, "Let's not just look for your next job, let's talk about where you want to be two or five years from now."

Eric conducts a PEEP session. PEEP is the Pathways to increase Employment & Earnings Potential program.

That's where PEEP really shines. Through our Career Lab and one-on-one coaching, we help participants identify career pathways, strengthen interview skills, build professional confidence, and explore training opportunities that can increase their earning potential.

A paycheck may solve today's problem. A career can change a family's future.

Q: What skills are employers seeking that participants can develop through this program?

A: Employers certainly look for technical skills, but what I hear just as often are things like communication, dependability, problem-solving, professionalism, and the ability to work well with others.

Through PEEP's Career Lab cohort, we focus on those skills while also helping participants explore industry-recognized certifications and training that can open doors to higher-paying careers. We want them to leave not only more employable, but more confident in what they bring to the workplace.

Q: Why is financial education such an important companion to workforce development?

A: Because earning more money doesn't automatically create financial stability.

The Financial Stabilization Plan helps participants learn how to budget, improve credit, reduce debt, build savings, and prepare for goals like homeownership. When you combine that with increased earnings through PEEP, people begin to see real momentum in their lives.

That's why we don't look at employment and finances as separate journeys. They work best together.

Q: How do you help participants transition from earning income to building wealth?

A: It starts by helping people think differently about what's possible.

When someone lands a better job, we celebrate that. But then we ask, "What's next?" Maybe it's improving credit. Maybe it's paying off debt, buying a home, building savings, or planning for their children's future.

Through FSP and financial coaching, participants begin creating a roadmap instead of just reacting to life. That's where earning an income starts becoming an opportunity to build wealth.

Q: What outcomes do you use to measure success?

A: Of course, we measure things like job placements, wage increases, training completions, and financial milestones. Those are important because they tell us whether the program is working.

But I'll be honest, my favorite measure of success is confidence.

When someone comes into the program unsure of themselves and leaves believing, "I can do this," that's when I know we're making a difference. The job, the improved credit, the savings, and even homeownership all begin with someone believing their future can be different.

Q: Can you share a participant success story that illustrates the impact of this partnership?

A: I would love to - one participant came into the program facing several barriers to employment and wasn't sure what their next step would be. Like many people we serve, they had the talent and the desire to work but needed guidance, encouragement, and someone to help them see what was possible.

Through PEEP, we worked together on career planning, resume development, interview preparation, and building confidence. They pursued an opportunity with a major organization, secured the position, and even earned a higher salary than they thought possible.

At the same time, through FSP, they began strengthening their financial foundation by learning how to improve their credit, reduce debt, manage a budget, and set long-term financial goals as well as homeownership.

To me, that's the beauty of what Build Wealth MN does, and being able to integrate it with the City of Minneapolis is so meaningful. It isn't just about helping someone get a job. It's about helping them overcome barriers, build confidence, strengthen their financial future, and create opportunities that once felt out of reach.

And I have to add one more thing, they got the job! Not just any job, but one that significantly increased their earnings and completely changed the direction they were headed.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

That's why I get excited about this work. Watching someone overcome barriers, discover their potential, and realize they have a future they can build; that never gets old.

Q: What lessons have you learned from the people you serve?

A: I've learned never to underestimate people.

I've met individuals who have experienced setbacks, incarceration, job loss, homelessness, or financial hardship. Yet time and again, I've watched them get back up, work hard, and accomplish things they never imagined.

That's why I never define someone by where they are today. I choose to look at where they can be tomorrow.

Q: What advice would you give other cities looking to create similar partnerships?

A: Invest in people, not just programs.

When workforce development, financial education, employers, housing, and community organizations work together, the impact is so much greater than any one organization could accomplish alone.

Strong partnerships don't just change statistics. They change lives.

Q: When someone completes the program, what changes do you hope they see in their future that seemed out of reach when they first enrolled?

A: More than anything, I hope they leave believing in themselves again.

Maybe that means a better career. Maybe it's buying a home, improving their credit, reducing debt, earning a certification, or finally feeling financially stable.

Whatever their goal is, I want them to know it's within reach.

That's really what PEEP and FSP are all about. We help people move from surviving to thriving, one step at a time. And when someone begins to believe their future is bigger than their past, that's when lasting change begins.