Lighthouse Foundation connects clients to cars
One of the biggest barriers to financial stability is maintaining consistent transportation, and people could sink thousands of dollars just purchasing a personal vehicle to travel to work in, according to Victoria Spreng, executive director of the Lighthouse Foundation.
The foundation, a nonprofit based in Middlesex Township that aids people experiencing poverty and financial troubles, started a Car Connection program in 2020 to help people attain the budgeting stability to be able to buy and maintain a personal vehicle.
According to Spreng, the program has already connected 13 people to cars, but the process to get there was about more than just finding a ride.
“We really wanted to take a look at not only the need for transportation, but where is the education in that vehicle,” Spreng said. “Whether it's the finances behind paying for insurance, getting new tires and your oil changed on a regular basis, someone who is already struggling paying their bills month to month, they can learn about the finances.”
Spreng said the Lighthouse Foundation provides partial funding for the vehicle, education about car maintenance and the connection or referral to a dealership where clients can get a car.
The whole process can take months, but Spreng said staff members may take clients from having little in savings to the point where they can afford to make payments on a car. Taking them through the process, she said, helps ingrain important car information to who could be a first-time vehicle buyer.
“That's allowing the individual to get a little background on what it takes to take care of a vehicle,” she said. “It was really combining the educational aspects of the need and the tangible piece of the program and the tangible use of a vehicle. Sometimes they may be stuck in a cycle of poverty and owning a vehicle isn't familiar to them.”
Some of the financial burden to clients is eased, thanks to connections the Lighthouse Foundation made with some local dealerships. Spreng said she and her staff members spoke with dealership owners about the program’s goal, and some have allowed price breaks on vehicles picked out by clients of the foundation.
Recently, one client purchased a Pontiac G6, and another a Chrysler Town and Country, which Spreng said were chosen based on their specific needs.
“What we would like to know is if these people were able to use these vehicles,” she said. “We would vet individuals in need, it is a pretty extensive process for a long-term goal. From there they either are able to find a vehicle, or we refer them to garages.”
Additionally, clients who go through the process get a year’s membership to AAA through the Lighthouse Foundation, Spreng said.
Crystal Merten is a mom who was connected to a vehicle through the program. She said having a car has made her life more convenient in several ways.
"This has helped me so much in life,“ Merten said. ”Getting back and forth to work... as well as I just recently had my son, so getting him to appointments has (been) helped extremely (by) having reliable transportation."
