Brianna Rivera, a financial and housing counselor with Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, says it took her a long time to decide to get a credit card.

“I thought credit cards were evil,” the presenter of a financial literacy class at the Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority headquarters told her students Thursday.

Rivera delivered two free classes. Thirteen attended during the day, and 19 had registered for the evening session, according to Mike Smith, resident services coordinator with the authority.

“This is part of a series of workshops where we try to educate our clients to prepare them for self-sufficiency,” Smith said.

Learning the skills taught in the workshops — like weighing up the pros and cons of credit cards — is an important step in achieving enough financial stability to move into private housing, according to Smith.

Rivera’s money-management classes were the first such classes the authority has hosted, but more are planned for those who’d like to attend, Smith said.

Back to the lesson on credit cards … Rivera told her students that if they don’t have one, they’ll find it much harder to improve their credit scores — and that’s essential to getting a mortgage.

She recommended starting out with a credit limit of $300, and signing up for a card that will allow them to earn points to put toward essentials like food and clothing.

Some of Rivera’s other tips were replacing old light bulbs with energy-efficient and longer-lasting LED bulbs; for anyone with a large family, joining a wholesale club like Sam’s or BJ’s; and shopping around for homeowner’s insurance.

“If you don’t need to drive, carpool or take the bus — save on gas,” she said.

Shane Lewis said she registered for Rivera’s class because she wants to learn how to manage money better. “It was very helpful, especially when you are trying to move forward to owning a home,” she said.

For Wanda Davis, getting her credit right was the motivation. Budgeting is something she’s never done well, she said.

“I have always avoided this type of stuff, but now I’m ready to find out and get it right,” Davis said.

Phyllis Harrison, resident services specialist with the authority, said one even needs good credit to rent a unit.

“Paying fair-market rent, the majority of the time they do check their credit,” she said.

For more information about the authority’s upcoming events and classes promoting family self-sufficiency, email MSmith@suffolkrha.org or PHarrison@suffolkrha.org.