Pennsylvania Non-Profit Program Offers Low-Interest Auto Loans

April 21, 2009

For many Americans one of the biggest fears they have is that one day they will get in their vehicles and they just won’t start. This can be a serious problem because many people cannot afford to get a new vehicle. This leaves them with no means to get back and forth to work, causing further problems.

In Pennsylvania, there is one organization that has provided a solution for the motorists who need to replace their current, non-functioning automobiles.

The non-profit organization, Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, has been operating its so-called Ways to Work program.

Ways to Work, funded by the state, federal government and private foundations, has given over four-hundred people the opportunity to receive low-interest auto loans since it was established back in 2001. The program is focused on low-income residents who either cannot obtain a loan on their own or, if approved, would have to pay ridiculously high interest rates.

Gwen Porter, the program’s loan coordinator was quoted as saying, “Many people turn down jobs because they cannot get transportation. And if someone takes a job, they might eventually lose it because of transportation problems.”

The need for the low-interest loans provided through Ways to Work has increased considerably since 2007 with the reduction of serviceable routes by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the local mass transit service. Almost thirty routes have been eliminated in the most recent cuts while available service has been decreased on 104 routes.

This makes the necessity of having a working automobile more important than ever before. Organizations like Family Services of Western Pennsylvania are providing a value service to a broader community in serious need of assistance. More people are getting back out on Pennsylvania roads and providing the income they need to make ends meet.