Car Ownership Provides Mobility and Qaulity of Life
Program brings cars to the needy
June 30, 2008 – 7:59am
by Cailin McGough @ The Frederick News-Post
By the end of this summer, Mary Ann Simpson could be driving
to work.
Simpson, who is hearing impaired, now lives in a shelter and
walks a mile to her job every day. She is applying for a
low-cost vehicle through Goodwill Industries of Monocacy
Valley’s Wheels to Work Program.
With a car, she hopes to find affordable housing outside of
the city, and maybe even a new job.
“It would mean a lot to me,” she said. “It would get me to work,
to the doctor’s office, and wherever else I have to go.”
Cindy Freeman, director of workforce development at Goodwill
Industries of Monocacy Valley, said the organization is
partnering with the nonprofit Vehicles for Change to help
more low-income area residents afford vehicles.
Goodwill’s board raised money to recondition 24 cars that will
be sold through its Wheels to Work program. Goodwill hopes to
sell about two cars every month starting in July.
Vehicles sell for an average $900 to $1,200.
Martin Schwartz, who runs Vehicles for Change, said the
organization guarantees loans and participants make payments of
about $100 a month.
“That way they’re able to establish credit at the same time
they’re paying for the car,” he said.
Most applicants are single mothers with two or three children,
making $25,000 or less annually, Schwartz said. In Frederick,
applicants include women who have left abusive relationships.
Getting there
The Wheels to Work program is limited to Goodwill staff and
individuals who have completed one of the organization’s
training programs in the past year, Freeman said. Goodwill
offers classes in Microsoft and Excel, job training, and a
vocational program for people with developmental
disabilities.
Applicants must work at least 30 hours a week, must hold a
valid driver’s license, and cannot now have access to a vehicle
in their household. Each applicant is screened for income and
counseled about expenses. Finally, a committee of staff and
community members select applicants to participate.
Every car comes with a six-month, 6,000-mile warranty. Schwartz
said the goal is to get a minimum of two years and 24,000 miles
from every vehicle.
Since 1999, Vehicles for Change has sold more than 2,500 cars
in Maryland and Virginia. Schwartz said the organization hopes
to sell 2,000 a year by 2011.
Owning a car is about more than getting to work, Schwartz
said, giving the example of a single mother with two children
in day care.
“How’s she going to get anything done, let alone take her kids
to day care and get to work?” he said. “How’s she going to get
to the grocery store? To the doctor’s office?”
Within a year of buying a car, 70 percent of recipients find
a better job with an average annual salary increase of $5,000,
Schwartz said. The benefits are more than financial. With
a faster commute, a mother can spend more time with her
children. The family may also be able to participate in
new activities.
“If you’re in Frederick and your mom doesn’t have a car and
you’re 10 years old, you can’t play for the local basketball,
football, lacrosse team,” he said. “You can’t get there.”
Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.