By Theresa Cisneros
Contributing Writer
A mini loan program started by three Catholic churches in Fullerton to help the working poor avoid homelessness is gaining momentum, with funding now firmly in place and prospective recipients being interviewed by volunteers.
The St. Vincent de Paul societies at St. Mary, St. Juliana Falconieri and St. Philip Benizi parishes are banding together to run a new program that will provide participants with low interest loans of up to $7,500 to help them keep their housing or get back into it.
The Michael Clements Mini Loan Program aims to reduce the number of people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or caught in a cycle of debt by providing them with affordable, accessible loans that can be used to help them get back on their feet.
“We find that there are many people who are working, but are struggling to make ends meet,” said Thomas Saenz, a deacon at St. Juliana who is involved in the initiative. “We understand that many of them require rental assistance or require support in getting the deposits and other funds necessary to get into an apartment and we just really felt that something needed to be done to help them.”
The three churches have been working together for years to improve living conditions for the homeless through what’s known as the Fullerton Tri-Parish Collaborative, Saenz said. Most notably, the group worked alongside the city and other individuals, agencies, interfaith groups and nonprofits to get a transitional care shelter for the homeless established in Fullerton.
Through the mini loan program, the collaborative aims to stop homelessness before it starts by focusing on areas where the working poor need the most help.
Organizers say that many of those who are at risk of becoming homeless are stuck in a debt cycle that makes it difficult for them to get ahead.
One day they can be employed, living in an apartment or hotel, and using high interest loans to supplement their income,…
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