By Matthew McLaughlin

Leah Mattson was trapped.  Overwhelmed with expenses, the Somerville native found herself in a pit of debt she couldn’t dig out of.

That was before she took the ‚Äúmoving from debts to assets‚Äù class offered by the Somerville Community Corporation. The class not only offered her a new outlook on how to manage money, it also gave her and 20 other graduates of  $450 each for graduating June 3.

‚ÄúWhen I came to SCC, it was at a point where my back was against the wall,‚Äù Mattson said.  It was easier to just close my eyes and pretend the problem wasn’t there.‚Äù

Then she heard about the six course class SCC offered.  Students learned goal-setting, creating a budget, how to save money, understanding and using credit, and wise use of banking services. The students also met three times with a professional financial councilor Although the money is a huge help, Mattson said the things she learned will be the lasting factor of the class.

‚ÄúI plan on passing this knowledge down to my 13 year old daughter,‚Äù she said.  ‚ÄúIt has been a great experience."

The class was part of a program offered by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, a non-profit organization that unites a spectrum of religious organizations to fight for social justice. GBIO negotiated with Citizens Bank to offer small grants to individuals who finish the course. Since October 2005, 342 graduates have capitalized on the program. Citizens has given $625,000 in grants to the program.

Murtha Gonzalez, another graduate of the course, said she made several mistakes at a young age that got her into credit trouble.  She was apprehensive about the class and how it could help her.

“I pictured a large group taking notes like a class,” with one instructor lecturing, she said. “But it was not like that at all. We took notes, but we all learned from each other.”

As a result of the class, Gonzalez said she now saves over $200 a month in grocery costs and closed two debt accounts. She also said all her debts will be paid in full by July 1.

Daniel Leblanc, CEO of SCC, said the program gives Somerville residents much needed assistance in a city that is becoming increasingly difficult to afford to live in.

‚ÄúThis is a great city to live in, but it is also a hard city to live in,‚Äù he said.  ‚ÄúWe can help you cope financially with life in Somerville.‚Äù

Thais Demarco, the class’ instructor, said she hopes to offer the class to more Somerville residents in the future.

‚ÄúThe reason we do it is because it creates real change in people’s lives,‚Äù she said.