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Editor’s note: This commentary is by Faye Longo, of East Barre, who is the loan coordinator for child care programs at the Vermont Community Loan Fund. She has more than 10 years of experience working with Vermont nonprofits in a number of roles.

According to talkpoverty.org 10 percent of Vermonters live below the poverty line ($24,250 for a family of four) in 2015. Unfortunately the reality of those not making a livable wage, receiving public assistance, or those who are stuck in the wage gap is much more staggering. (The wage gap here is described as those families with at least one adult employed full time who still rely on state/federal health insurance programs, SNAP benefits, or child care subsidy but do not receive cash assistance from the state.) In the 2015 Vermont Basic Needs Budgets and Livable Wage Report it was calculated that a single individual would need to earn at least $15.42 an hour, if living in a rural area and $17.26 an hour if in an urban area! (For the remainder of this report we will be utilizing urban rates.) A family of four with two adult earners would need $20.96. According to this report, single mothers like me, need to earn $28.84 per hour. That is a far cry from the talkpoverty.org report listed above.

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All of this is to illustrate that for Vermont families something as simple as a popped tire can be a deal breaker. In our state where reliable transportation is a necessity (in many areas due to the lack of public transportation) any small vehicular event can be devastating. In my case, I have one child and a full-time job. I receive child care assistance and a small ($7 per month) food stamp benefit. My daughter receives state/federal funded health care and due to a previous disability I receive Medicaid. I was out of work for two months earlier this year but managed to scrape by. I live in East Barre which does not have access to public transportation. My daughter’s daycare is approximately 7 miles from our home and I work in Montpelier, about 20 miles from my home. In October of this year, I brought my car into the dealership for its annual inspection and was given a $2,400 bill. To make a very long story short, I could not afford to pay that. I found a dealership that did the repairs for just over $1,000 and I pushed HARD to get a personal loan from the same bank my car loan is through to pay for the repairs. I was lucky!

Many Vermonters faced with the same situation would have (a) continued to drive illegally, which would have led to more financial problems, safety issues, and, ultimately, legal problems, or (b) would’ve succumbed to a payday loan (which I almost did) resulting in unbelievable interest rates, missed payments, bounced checks and continued stress caused by the inability to pay, or (c) worse case, quit their job, gotten on welfare and hoped for the best.

What if someone in my situation had an organization they could turn to, maybe an alternative lender, or a bridge organization who helps people move from the extremes of poverty to the stability of earning their own way?

During my ordeal I called the state offices, I called Capstone (formerly Community Action), I called churches, I did everything I could think of to get help to pay this seemingly small inconsequential thing. And I could get NO HELP! Families in my situation walk a tightrope every day, every decision must be weighed, every financial choice carefully considered. This is a horrible way to live. If I am offered a raise I have to consider that my daughter could lose her child care subsidy leaving me vulnerable to the entire bill, she could lose her medical coverage, and I know I cannot afford ObamaCare. If my car breaks again, I honestly do not know what I will do, if I were to get into an accident I couldn’t even cover my insurance deductible at this point. And for people like me there is no help.

A woman at the welfare office and the man I spoke to at Capstone both stated that if I were on state assistance they could help me, but receiving a child care subsidy and SNAP benefits is not enough, I have to be receiving cash benefits. This means that if I quit my job and got on welfare I would be eligible for help getting and maintaining stable, safe and reliable transportation (even though I have no job to go to), my daughter’s child care will be fully covered (again, even though I have no job to attend). I am not saying that other people don’t deserve these services, I am simply pointing out, what about me? What about my family, where can I turn, what can I do? Right now there is no viable answer to this question, but there could be. I have worked hard all my life to pull myself out of the cycle of poverty and I will not willingly go back on public assistance if I can help it!

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What if someone in my situation had an organization they could turn to, maybe an alternative lender, or a bridge organization who helps people move from the extremes of poverty to the stability of earning their own way? Well, if such a thing existed this world would be a much better place. Ah, but maybe such organizations do exist. CDFI’s (Community Development Financial Institutions) , which are alternative lenders, have been bridging this gap in the business and housing areas for 30 years now. What if they opened their organizations to the idea of small loan lending? What if a group of like-minded people got together — individuals, families, business owners, legislators — and came up with their own hybrid organization: a little bit of Capstone, a touch of CDFI, a heap of personal/business experience, they could come up with a way to meet this incredible need. Well, I would be up for that, I have skills that could benefit a group like that, and that’s something I would even devote my time to. Would anyone else?