Following a personal crisis in the winter of 2010, Sabina R. got behind on her car payments and faced repossession. A loan from Innovative Changes helped her keep the car, which she used to commute to work.
In her job with the Housing Authority of Portland, Sabina would refer clients to Innovative Changes — now she is a client herself, albeit laid off from the City.
“I found the Innovative Changes services most beneficial because they help people improve their credit rating,” Sabina said. “Now they’ve helped me too.”
The Innovative Changes loan enabled Sabina to repay the car loan, which had a much higher interest rate. The Innovative Changes loan is flexible, helps her with credit, and made her “conscious there’s someone that can help you. Payday loans just intimidate you.”
Sabina spoke from experience: two years ago, her $500 payday loan balooned to $2,000 within a year.
“I’d found myself in a revolving door,” she said. In the end, she settled the debt with a collection agency.
Though Sabina remains unemployed, she keeps busy. She’s starting a nonprofit called Kicks for Kids, which will fight childhood obesity.
