Pinellas Ways to Work helps people be self-sufficient by funding transportation

Van Jalaber found herself in a tight spot the last time she needed a new vehicle.

She purchased a white 1999 Dodge Caravan, but it needed work and she was low on cash.

So the Clearwater single mother turned to Ways to Work, a program that provides low-interest car loans to working parents with less than stellar credit histories.

Ways to Work purchased Jalaber's car loan and reduced her payment from $235 to $135 a month. And because the program required her to open a savings account with $100 and to contribute $35 a month for the life of the loan, she now has a small savings.

"It's been a little more than a year now and I have $475 in the account," said Jalaber, 53, who drives a school bus for Pinellas County schools.

Ways to Work operates in 20 states. Since its inception in 1984, it has assisted families across the nation by providing more than $33 million in loans to help them become self-sufficient by purchasing reliable transportation. The two-year loans are as much as $4,000 with an 8 percent interest rate, a big improvement on interest rates that can be as high as 24 percent for some low-income residents with shoddy credit histories.

In Pinellas County, 154 auto loans have been given since 2005 with a less than 10 percent default rate, said Elaine Taylor, the county's Ways to Work/Partners in Self Sufficiency program manager.

"Our clients tell us that the program is invaluable in terms of involvement in the community, their children's schools, job training and personal growth," Taylor said. "Having a car and an affordable car payment changes a lot for people."

The county program has offices in Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

In order to participate in the program, one must have a child under 18 and be employed for at least six months. Ways to Work guarantees the loans that are obtained from a local bank.

In December, the Milwaukee-based national organization managed to secure another $16 million to help the low income get car loans. The new funding is from foundations, financial institutions and government agencies. The additional funding will allow the program to expand from 40 U.S. offices to 110 by 2013.

"We are looking to help someone who is really dedicated to making a permanent change in their lives," said Jeff Faulkner, Ways to Work Inc.'s president in Milwaukee. "We are going to take someone forward faster than they would on their own."

Xochiquetzal (Netsay) Parker, 39, of St. Petersburg is one of those clients. She was struggling to pay the last $2,000 on a 2000 Ford Escort. She had the car since 2005 and was behind in the $400-a-month payment. Ways to Work purchased the remainder of the loan and her monthly payment dropped to $101 a month.

"Oh my God, you just don't know how this has helped," said Parker, a mother of three who works at Pinellas Association for Retarded Children. "I have money saved in the bank and I'm not paycheck to paycheck anymore. The program really helped and made a difference."

Tequila Burks, also of St. Petersburg, agreed. She received a loan in November. She purchased a black Chrysler 300 at $98 a month for a year and a half.

"It was better than getting my old car fixed," said Burks, 28. "I needed a car for school and to better prepare myself to make a living for my son."

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com