Services
Financial Security
What we do and why it matters
We offer innovative financial services, loans, and counseling to empower individuals and families to build their financial capacity. These services matter because when families achieve financial stability, they are able to avoid disruptive housing and economic crises, provide healthier homes, and build a foundation for their financial future and enhancing the neighborhood and community around them.
Financial Opportunity Center
Building wealth. Strengthening families. Creating financial stability.
Financial stability doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires coordinated support across a variety of areas that affect personal finance including jobs, benefits, credit, savings, and housing. The Financial Opportunity Center at Isles brings all of this support under one roof, helping individuals and families build the financial stability they need to thrive personally and professionally.
In partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), our center combines financial education, employment services, and benefits access into one integrated, holistic program.
Four Integrated Services
- Financial coaching
- Employment coaching
- Income support
- Housing counseling
HUD-Certified Counseling Services
We are a member of the network of HUD participating housing counseling agencies that provide consumers the answers they need to make informed housing decisions.
Consolidated Support
Get the help you need across all the key areas of your financial life in one place.
What to expect from the Financial Opportunity Center
Financial coaching
Our financial coaches understand the multiple financial challenges facing most families and offer realistic pathways to improve credit, reduce debt, and build savings. Coaches work alongside participants to set financial goals and put practical strategies in place to achieve them. Targeted financial products like credit builder loans and matched savings accounts may also be available.
Employment coaching
Income is central to financial health. Whether you are looking for a new job, exploring training for a career in a growing field, or getting interview-ready with a polished resume, our employment coaches provide the resources and support to help you secure or advance your career. Coaches help identify the right opportunities and job pathways for each person and connect them with training and other resources.
Income support
Public benefits including SNAP, WIC, utility assistance, and health insurance can provide essential resources for eligible individuals and households. Our Income Support staff help participants navigate these complex programs and apply for the services they qualify for. Information and referrals for free and low-cost resources including medical care, household goods, childcare, home repairs, and youth programs are also available through partner organizations and other Isles departments.
Housing counseling
For most families, housing costs are their largest monthly expense, with impact far beyond shelter. Housing finances directly affect health, education, safety, and overall quality of life. As a HUD-Certified housing counseling agency, Isles offers first-time homebuyer, foreclosure prevention, and rental counseling services through both group education and one-on-one counseling sessions.
A Financial Opportunity Center success story
The journey from just settling to thriving
Tykira E. had the training; she had completed dental assistant school, earned her credentials, and was ready to launch her healthcare career. But jobs weren’t coming, and the next step, a CNA certification, was out of reach financially. “You can’t get financial aid for a CNA, you have to pay out of pocket,” the 23-year-old Trenton resident explained, “so I was just going to settle.” Settling meant delivering packages for Amazon rather than working in the dental field. Fortunately for Tykira, an associate told her about the Isles Financial Opportunity Center and she decided to see how this resource might get her back on her medical profession journey.
Continue reading the story
Tykira enrolled in the Financial Opportunity Center, finding the process to be fast and simple. Just one week from her initial inquiry phone call, she had her first appointment with Center counselors and left that session with all her paperwork complete.
Working with her career coach, Tykira built a plan: CNA certification, stacked with phlebotomy and EKG credentials for a comprehensive healthcare skill set. When her training provider couldn’t place her for the required externship, the Isles Financial Opportunity Center stepped in and secured an alternative site, for her and others in her program facing the same barrier. The program covered childcare, bus passes, and transportation costs, removing the obstacles that derail so many participants before they can finish.
Tykira recently started work as a CNA at an assisted living facility near her home, earning 50% more than she would have made as a dental assistant. She is also continuing to work with Isles staff to learn budgeting and credit-building. And in May 2026, she’ll begin nursing school, a goal that once seemed impossible.
Why the Financial Opportunity Center matters
The Financial Opportunity Center is one part of Isles’ broader vision for a community where everyone can grow and thrive. We empower people with the knowledge and behaviors to take command of their finances while providing financial support when needed. This powerful combination creates financial stability and growth for families allowing them greater freedom to invest in themselves and their community.
Get started with the Financial Opportunity Center
Our services are available to individuals and families in the Trenton area. Whether you are just getting started or looking to take your financial health to the next level, we are here to help.
If you’d like to support our work or would like to partner with us, please reach out.
First-time Home Buyer
Making homeownership achievable
Homeownership is one of the most powerful ways for families to build financial security and generational wealth. As a HUD-certified housing counseling agency, Isles provides the guidance, education, and connections to financial assistance that help potential buyers make informed decisions and navigate the path to sustainable homeownership.
Use our Home Buyer Education Course to learn the language of homeownership from equity to escrow and everything in between. If you’re ready to get started with Isles counseling, complete the Request for Services application form.
HUD-Certified Counseling Services
Workshops in English & Spanish
Down Payment & Closing Cost Assistance Available
What to expect from the First-Time Home Buyer program
One-on-one counseling
As a HUD-certified agency, Isles provides personalized credit and housing counseling to guide you through every step of the home-buying process. Your counselor will help you understand the full costs of homeownership, review your credit and address any issues, create a realistic budget and determine a responsible mortgage payment, learn about financial assistance programs, and review mortgage documents at closing. We help you decide whether purchasing a home is the right financial choice for you, and if it is, we’ll help you get there.
First-time home buyer workshop
Our full-day (8-hour) Homeownership Education workshop takes the mystery out of buying a home, covering mortgage qualification, working with a realtor, home inspections, and the closing process. Upon completion, you’ll receive a First-Time Homebuyer Education Certificate, which is required to access many financial assistance programs offered by lenders, government agencies, and nonprofits. Workshops are generally held on Saturdays and offered in both English and Spanish. Get started by clicking the button below.
“Welcome Home Fair” self-learn videos
Learn all the essentials about home ownership on your own schedule. Here you’ll find a collection of recorded video sessions from our “Welcome Home Fair for First-Time Home Buyers.” Click on any video list item to view the recorded session.
Video 1: What do I need to do to qualify for a mortgage? (19 mins)
Video 2: What is my mortgage payment going to be? (7 mins)
Video 3: What kind of financial assistance is available to me? (8 mins)
Video 4: Hear from a realtor (17 mins)
Video 5: Hear from a real estate attorney (15 mins)
Video 6: Hear from a home inspector (21 mins)
Financial assistance
We connect qualified first-time buyers with financial assistance programs, including funds for down payment and closing costs. Your counselor will help you understand which programs you may be eligible for and how to access them.
Key statistics
50%+
The share of minority low-income homeowners living in neighborhoods with poverty rates above 20%.
47%
The share of persistently low-income individuals who remain homeowners after five years, as fragile employment and stagnant wages make it difficult to sustain housing costs.
30%
The average home value appreciation for low-income owners over ten years. This is less than a 3% return per year which is lower than the average return on U.S. Treasury Bills (3 to 4%).
The path to homeownership is not universally accessible. Systemic inequities create barriers that make homeownership more challenging and less financially beneficial for low-income families. Low-income buyers often can only afford homes requiring substantial repairs or costly system replacements. Research shows significantly lower foreclosure rates among buyers who received high-quality pre-purchase counseling from HUD-approved agencies, underscoring why this work matters.
Why the First-Time Home Buyer program matters
The First-Time Homebuyer Program is part of Isles’ broader vision for a community where everyone can grow and thrive. Homeownership directly affects financial security, one of the essential elements of healthy, sustainable lives. Through counseling, education, and access to financial assistance, we work to make homeownership more accessible and more sustainable for the families who stand to benefit from it most.
Get started with the First-Time Home Buyer program
Whether you’re just exploring the possibility of homeownership or are ready to get started by setting up an appointment with one of our counselors, reach out; we’re ready to help (after you click the button below, please select “First-Time Home Buyer” from the “Departments & Programs” field in the email contact form).
If you’d like to support our work or would like to partner with us, please reach out.
Foreclosure Prevention
Protecting families and communities
The threat of foreclosure can be alarming, confusing, and overwhelming. Just determining the best course of action and response to the possibility of foreclosure can be very difficult.
In the event of a foreclosure threat, you need to be aware that you may have multiple prevention options but it is imperative that you act immediately (don’t simply ignore mail or phone calls from your lender).
As a HUD-certified housing counseling agency, Isles provides free, personalized foreclosure prevention counseling to help homeowners fully understand their options and take meaningful steps to protect their homeownership.
HUD-Certified Counseling Agency
Free Counseling Services
Serving the Trenton Area
What to expect from the Foreclosure Prevention program
One-on-one counseling
After a thorough review of your income, expenses, debt, causes of delinquency, and future prospects, your HUD-certified housing counselor will discuss the options available in your circumstances. Isles counselors will assess your situation and explain your mortgage options, review your credit and help you develop a household budget, establish a plan of action, negotiate with your lender or servicer when appropriate, help you apply for mortgage assistance programs, and provide referrals to resources for other needs and services.
Foreclosure assistance packet
To get started, we’ll need complete information about your mortgage, income, and correspondence from your lender. This allows our counselors to develop a plan to address your mortgage problem. Download the Foreclosure Assistance Packet, which includes a Customer Checklist, Isles Request for Service Form and disclosure statements, Intake Questions, Budget, and Making Home Affordable Certification.
Submit your completed packet:
- By email to [email protected]; or
- By fax to 609-341-4783; or
- By regular mail to Isles, 10 Wood Street, Trenton, NJ 08618.
Once we receive your package, we will schedule an appointment for you with a HUD-certified housing counselor.
Key statistics
6th
New Jersey’s ranking for state foreclosure rates across the U.S. in 2025, with 1 in every 273 housing units affected.
19%
The share of all properties in Trenton that are vacant, (including 1 in 10 buildings), a direct consequence of foreclosure cycles and disinvestment.
1.8%
The price decrease in surrounding home values for each foreclosure in low-income neighborhoods.
Foreclosures reach beyond the families who lose their homes. Unchecked foreclosures can devastate entire neighborhoods and cities. Studies show that foreclosures increase violent crime in affected neighborhoods, reduce property values for surrounding homeowners, and cost cities critical revenue as falling property values undermine the property tax streams that fund schools, law enforcement, and roads. These are not isolated financial events. They ripple outward, weakening the communities where families live and invest.
A Foreclosure Prevention success story
Preserving generational wealth
When Thaddeus Pearson’s father passed away without a will, he found himself navigating unfamiliar territory. Not just grief, but the complex legal and financial systems standing between him and the home his father left behind. He had successfully become a homeowner, but uncertain finances soon led to missed mortgage payments and a foreclosure notice. Investors lined up, offering far below the property’s value. Thaddeus knew the house was more than a place to live. It was his family’s legacy.
Through a referral from a legal services partner, Thaddeus’s case came to Isles’ Housing Services. Working alongside Elena Hung-Shum, Housing Services Manager and HUD-certified Housing Counselor, Thaddeus built a plan with one goal: to keep his home. That meant securing stable employment – since lenders require demonstrated income before considering loss mitigation – and developing a savings and spending plan to manage his cash flow.
Continue reading the story
Thaddeus took on two jobs, and, when his first paycheck arrived, Isles began working with the lender on his behalf. Months of persistence paid off. The lender approved a loss mitigation trial payment plan, which Thaddeus completed successfully before being offered a permanent loan modification. His father’s mortgage was transferred into his name.
Today, Thaddeus Pearson is a proud homeowner, and the wealth his father built will remain in the Pearson family.
Why the Foreclosure Prevention program matters
Foreclosure Prevention is part of Isles’ broader vision for a community where everyone can grow and thrive. Housing stability connects directly to financial security, health, and overall community wellbeing. By helping homeowners navigate mortgage challenges and explore alternatives to foreclosure, we support both individual families and the strength of the neighborhoods they call home.
Get started with the Foreclosure Prevention program
If you are facing mortgage difficulties or the threat of foreclosure, it is important that you act immediately. The earlier you reach out for help, the more options may be available to you to address your particular situation. Get started by completing the Foreclosure Assistance Packet.
Submit your completed packet:
- By email to [email protected]; or
- By fax to 609-341-4783; or
- By regular mail to Isles, 10 Wood Street, Trenton, NJ 08618.
Once we receive your package, we will schedule an appointment for you with a HUD-certified housing counselor.
If you’d like to support our work or would like to partner with us, please reach out.