What is Ways to Work?
Ways to Work is a unique Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in Milwaukee, WI. Through our network of loan offices across the country, we provide small, short-term, low-interest loans to working poor families with challenging credit histories. We provide an alternative to predatory lenders for people with a demonstrated commitment to achieving increased self-sufficiency.
All of our loan offices are hosted within family serving member agencies of the Alliance for Children and Families. This ensures that our borrowers have ready access to a wide variety of services to help them be successful with their loan and with the change in lifestyle that this typically requires.
All Ways to Work loans are used to help individuals remain in or move forward in their job. The vast majority of our loans are made for the purchase of modestly priced used vehicles. Besides stabilization or improvement in their employment situations, our clients also find that our program has caused an increase in their financial literacy, raised their credit rating, heightened their sense of self-esteem, and, for those obtaining a vehicle, brought about a significant improvement in their family’s quality of life.
As an asset-building and economic self-sufficiency program for underserved populations without access to conventional financial resources, Ways to Work helps families move off of and stay off welfare and dependency programs. Instead of handouts, it provides families a helping hand-up toward a more stable financial future.
