How can I find help for car repairs, car loans, or bus tickets?

• In general, most community organizations and churches do not assist with car repairs, car loans, or bus tickets.
• The United Methodist Church does not have a denominational program for assisting with any of these.
• There are some other options, both direct and indirect.

The short answer is, with few exceptions, direct help will be difficult to find.

There are some veteran organizations, some fraternal organizations, and some organizations for people with specific medical diagnoses or undergoing specific kinds of medical treatment that may assist with one or more of these needs.

But in general, you will find that most community organizations, churches, and synagogues do not regularly offer support for any of these expenses.

So, if you’re not a military veteran or not someone with a specific kind of disease or treatment regimen, what can you do?

Car Repairs and Car Loans

You can begin by asking family and friends for any assistance they can offer. Assistance might include money to help pay the repair cost or car loan, a car to borrow while you are waiting on repairs, or rides. Be sure not to overtax those nearest to you, but do not turn away any help they may offer.

If family and close friends cannot assist, or cannot assist enough, turn to your wider community.

Start by calling 211 from any phone local to your area code. 211 is a nationwide information and referral service that has the most comprehensive database of community service providers in your area and the services they provide. They can tell you who can help you and how to reach them. Many also include forms of assistance that local churches and synagogues provide. Calling 211 can save you time by reducing the amount of “cold calling” you may otherwise need to make to find someone in your community who can help you.

When you call 211, ask about whether anyone in your community offers help for car repair bills or car payments. Again, unless you are a veteran or dealing with specific medical issues, the answer is likely to be no. If the answer is yes, contact the organizations 211 provides you.

For Car Repairs

1. Ask the repair shop whether they can set up a payment plan for you with payments you can afford.
2. Talk with your bank about getting a personal loan at a rate of repayment you can afford.
3. Consider using public transit options if they are available and workable. Many communities also offer special transit services for people who are older, who have some kind of disability, or need to get to medical appointments but do not have reliable transportation to enable them to do so. If any of those situations applies to you, ask 211 about those alternatives as well.
4. Consider selling the car to the repair shop, as is, especially if the repair cost exceeds any amount you may still owe on the car or the cost of repairing it exceeds its resale value if it is repaired. Selling your car may help give you a new start, free from the debt of a car loan and the rising costs of car insurance, gasoline and future repairs. When you are ready, you may then want to consider getting a car you can afford that is less likely to need immediate repairs or that is still covered under a warranty that can make repair costs more affordable.

For Car Loans

1. Ask your bank whether they offer debt or loan consolidation. If they do not, ask them for recommendations for reliable debt consolidation services. These organizations can help you put all of your debts into a new loan, often with a lower interest rate than some current loans or credit you may have. You could have one bill that covers several payees at once at a cost that is more affordable and sustainable for you.
2. If you may be in danger of having your car repossessed, also ask 211 about pro bono legal services able to assist you to delay or stop repossession. Repossession is one of the most damaging things that can happen to your financial health. A repossession can remain on your credit report and show up in credit checks for up to seven years. This can make it harder to get other loans, to be approved for housing, and even, in some cases, to get a job you may be otherwise qualified for. Having legal counsel can help you understand your rights if you are facing a possible repossession. Legal representation may be able to help you delay repossession until you are able to pay. A legal service can also help you get a repossession expunged from your record if it was handled illegally.

Indirect Help for Either or Both

1. Seek assistance for other expenses that community services and local churches are more likely to cover, then use the money you save on these toward your repair bill or payment. Many community organizations and churches help with rent or mortgage and utility payments. Many also provide food and clothing. Call 211 to ask who offers these services in your area. You will want to contact and get assistance from community organizations before you start calling churches, as many churches will not offer financial assistance until after other community organizations have already helped.
2. Contact local churches. You may use our online Find-a-Church service to locate United Methodist congregations near you. On each church's profile page, you will see its average worship attendance on the upper right side. You may want to limit your calls to churches larger than 120 in worship, as these are more likely to have someone to answer phones and resources on hand to be of assistance.

Bus Tickets

We’re aware there are sites on the Internet that claim The United Methodist Church has a program to help people get free Greyhound or other long-distance bus tickets. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As we find such claims online, we ask the webmaster to take them down.

As with car repairs and car loans, the first people to call for help getting a bus ticket may be your family and friends.

Next, call 211 from any phone local to your area code. There are some services limited to particular groups (veterans, people with certain disabilities or medical diagnoses) that may provide such assistance. It may be worth asking the 211 operator if any such services are available in your area.

Finally, call churches. Just keep in mind there are few churches who provide funding for bus tickets. Those that do tend to be larger, with more staff, larger outreach budgets, and a church credit card to make the payment. As you look at individual churches in your area using Find-a-Church, you may want to limit your calls to churches with an average attendance over 250, as these may be more likely to have the ability to assist you.

Getting help for car repairs, car payments and bus tickets is not easy. We hope this guide will help you consider all of the options you may have when you find yourself needing to ask for these kinds of assistance.

Burton Edwards is Lead, Ask The UMC, the United Methodist Information Service.