Training Los Angeles County social workers

Linda Williams of Consumer Action conducted a training on April 16 for 175 Los Angeles County Social Workers on topics including ID theft, improving and rebuilding credit, and scams. The training was attended by employees of L.A. County's Housing and Homeless Assistance Programs. Williams presented trainees with useful tools that can be used to assist the over-populated homeless community and low-income families move towards self sufficiency. Participants were enthusiastic and asked for additional trainings. "The training you provided is exactly what we need on an ongoing basis in order to assist families to move forward," said one participant. Williams noted: "Everyone was extremely attentive expressing a strong desire to learn. Participants took notes and appeared to have an enormous appetite and thirst for the information provided. It was a lot of fun for me, as well."

"Providing government benefit workers with financial literacy trainings will definitely have an impact on their efforts to assist families move towards self-sufficiency," said Williams. "Perhaps now, when a counselor finds a luxury auto loan on a benefit applicant's credit report, they will consider the possibility of Identity theft, instead of assuming that the applicant is committing fraud."