Oakland County continues funding for Savvy to help residents navigate student loan repayment

Oakland County will continue funding a county program that pays for Savvy, a private repayment‑navigation service, to help residents and county employees manage student loan debt, the meeting record shows.

The board established the Oakland County Student Debt Relief Initiative in July 2024 and initially allocated $500,000 to help about 170,000 residents carrying roughly $6,000,000,000 in student loan debt explore repayment options. The meeting statement said the board, “with the support of Commissioner Brendan Johnson,” approved the 2026 fiscal year budget that includes continued funding for Savvy. Services will be available at no cost to county residents and employees through the end of the calendar year.

Commissioner Bridal Johnson, identified in the record as the county commissioner for the 4th District, described why the county supports the program: “I mean, personally, I have about $150,000 of student debt, but look, it’s a contract that I made and I’m happy to do that repayment,” she said, adding that repayment is complicated when loan servicers change. Johnson said those practical difficulties make a navigation service useful.

Lindsay Clark, chief borrower advocate at Savvy, said the company combines technology with human casework to guide borrowers through repayment and forgiveness programs. “What Savvy provides that a borrower can’t do on their own is this,” Clark said, and described Savvy’s role in pre‑filling, digitizing and submitting applications to reduce administrative burden and ensure timely, accurate filing: “We take on all of that administrative burden for you.”

The record also notes Savvy provided webinars to borrowers while major federal legislation was moving through Congress and has continued outreach since the bill became law. County officials encouraged residents to register for Savvy’s "State of Student Debt" town hall on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. for details about policy changes, deadlines and what to expect in 2026.

The meeting record does not provide a roll‑call vote, mover or seconder for the budget action; it only states that the board approved the 2026 fiscal year budget and included continued funding for Savvy. The county did not specify the exact amount of continued funding in the meeting remarks.