Written By: Julia Vellucci, CCFWE Social Justice Writer

 

A total of 17 participants, who were refugee survivors, some from shared housing, balancing caregiving responsibilities, still navigating the emotional fallout of abuse and committed to rebuilding their financial lives, completed the post-training survey following the six-week Reclaim and Rise Financial Empowerment program. They came ready to learn, ready to reclaim control, and ready to imagine futures where money was no longer used against them.

 

It is important to note that 22 participants completed the initial survey, however, 17 were able to stay engaged through the post-training process. This is a number that reflects not a lack of commitment, but the real systemic and personal pressures survivors continue to navigate.

 

By the end of the Reclaim and Rise Financial Empowerment program, all 17 participants reported being “very satisfied.” All of them would recommend the program to others. Additionally, all 17 described themselves as “extremely confident” in managing their day-to-day money, understanding credit, setting a budget, and even reading a credit report, something that often felt intimidating or inaccessible for most at the beginning.

 

This is what survivor strength looks like in data form, especially now that they can say, “I finally understand what was done to me.”

 

One of the biggest takeaways/changes was the participants’ understanding of economic abuse.
Before the program, not a single survivor rated themselves at the highest level of understanding but at the end, 100 % did.

 

That’s more than just knowledge alone but is liberation. Understanding economic abuse means recognizing it, naming it, and no longer internalizing blame for financial harm they had to combat.

 

The data reveals similar progress across every category:

 

• 94% said they are now extremely confident interacting with banks compared to two-thirds whose confidence was once low or moderate.
• 100% said budgeting now feels “very easy.”
• 100% feel empowered to have difficult financial conversations.
• 94% feel they can protect their digital identity, an essential safety step for anyone rebuilding autonomy.

 

These aren’t small improvements. Instead, they are turning points. They demonstrate that economic empowerment is essential for survivors experiencing economic abuse. It also shows that survivors have what it takes to be financially secure. After all, they are motivated, capable, and ready to take charge of their financial futures.

 

Along the way of learning how to manage money, many realized they weren’t the problem, instead, the systems they had to navigate simply weren’t built for their lives.

 

Even after reaching the highest possible level of confidence, refugee survivors of economic abuse said the real obstacles still exist in the systemic barriers to financial safety:

 

• 47% said they still need support navigating banking services that do not feel safe or accessible.
• 35% expressed concern about coercive or shared debt, financial ties that often link them to an abusive partner long after separation.
• Many said referrals felt intimidating, not because they didn’t want help, but because institutions felt distant or untrustworthy.

 

Survivors have the skills, but the systems don’t always support them. One wanted more help with taxes because the process felt overwhelming. Another said delays in honorarium payments added unnecessary stress.

 

These aren’t gaps in the program but gaps in the systems. These are barriers that make progress harder, even when survivors are doing everything in their power correctly.

 

The most powerful indicator of a survivor’s commitment wasn’t in their confidence ratings but in what came next. After all, all 17 participants wanted to stay connected, asked to be contacted for future programming, and all desired an alumni network.

 

This isn’t just engagement but a community of survivors who are ready to keep building, learning, and move toward financial independence together.

 

Imagine what could happen if the systems around them met that same level of commitment. What if banks offered trauma-informed services or debt policies accounted for coercion or even if referrals felt safe, human, and trust-based rather than cold and transactional? The data doesn’t only tell a story of transformation but tells a story of what is still possible.

 

Financial abuse shapes long-term economic insecurity as many survivors in the Reclaim and Rise program said financial abuse didn’t end when the relationship did. The aftermath of it followed them into their income, their credit, their housing, and even their confidence. The 17 participants who completed the post-training survey painted a clear picture that financial abuse creates long-term instability that can take years to overcome.

 

Many entered the program with debts that weren’t theirs, damaged credit, or little experience managing money independently because financial decisions had been controlled or monitored by an abusive partner. Others were balancing caregiving responsibilities, unstable housing, or low-income work that made it nearly impossible to build savings or prepare for emergencies. Several participants shared that the emotional side of financial abuse including the fear of making a wrong choice, shame around debt, or anxiety around banks and institutions made rebuilding just as hard as the practical barriers.

 

The data didn’t just highlight the challenges, it highlighted what survivors say they need to move forward. Across the program, participants emphasized the importance of access to safe, stable income and housing, two things that create the foundation of any financial recovery. Many highlighted the need for trauma-informed financial education that doesn’t assume prior knowledge and acknowledges the realities of abuse, such as coerced debt or financial surveillance. Caregivers stressed the need for affordable childcare to allow them to work, study, or attend financial coaching sessions. Participants spoke about the need for clearer banking processes, easier pathways to repair credit damaged by an abuser, and support accessing benefits without overwhelming administrative burdens.

 

The biggest takeaway from the Reclaim and Rise Empowerment Project is that refugee survivors didn’t need this program to make them capable, instead, needed it to make the system navigable.

 

The survivors came into this program with resilience and left it with skills, knowledge, confidence, and community. What remains are the institutional barriers that only policy change, service redesign, and trauma-informed practice have the ability to change.

 

The question now isn’t if survivors are ready to rebuild, but if the systems around them are ready to let them.

 

Learn more about CCFWE’s Reclaim and Rise Program: https://ccfwe.org/immigrants-and-refugees/