The purpose of the agency shall be to educate and assist the general public on the intelligent and prudent use of consumer credit; to provide professional budget and housing counseling to families and individuals; and, where appropriate, arrange a debt management program for financially distressed consumers to liquidate their debts in an orderly and equitable manner.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania was founded in 1978 by three concerned and community-minded businessmen from the Scranton area. They obtained a charter from the National Foundation for Consumer Credit. On April 27, 1978 CCCS was officially registered as a Pennsylvania non-profit organization.
CCCS started out as a small, struggling one-person operation located in Scranton. In 1983, CCCS began counseling in Wilkes-Barre. In 1984, CCCS grew to four employees.
In 1989, CCCS, due to consumer demand, opened a full time branch office in Wilkes-Barre. Subsequently, branch offices were also established in Stroudsburg, Williamsport, and State College. In addition, satellite locations were established in Sunbury, Hazleton, Bloomsburg, and Milford.
In 2003, CCCS celebrated 25 years of service to the community. CCCS has evolved from a small, local operation into a vibrant, regional organization. We now have seven locations serving consumers in a 23 county area in northeaster and central Pennsylvania.
CCCS is an authorized housing counseling agency for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).
CCCS is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Charitable Organizations. We are a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. CCCS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
Today, CCCS is the pre-eminent provider of budget counseling, debt management, housing counseling, and financial literacy in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
No more than 25% of your monthly income should go towards installment debt – credit cards, loans, car payments, etc.
Spending limits must be realistic
Know your priorites. Allot enough income for the essentials (shelter, utilities, food, medical, savings).
Deposit part of your income into a savings account to meet emergency expenses.
Make the budget a family project. Everyone must be involved in order for it to work.