Working with SparkPoint Oakland to Overcome my Financial Barriers

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation
45 Stories for 45 Years

Contributor: Billy Williams, SparkPoint Oakland Client

In 2018, I was facing substantial debt and living on a fixed income. I heard about SparkPoint Oakland, a project started by United Way of the Bay Area and managed in Oakland in partnership with EBALDC, that builds financial health and increases access to good jobs and decided to try to improve my finances. Working with my personal financial coach Carmen Reid, I was able to reduce my debt by $21,000 and address more complicated financial issues like dealing with my student loans, negotiating a tax lien, learning to budget and save through their Matched Savings Program and a lot more.

She also helped me figure out how to remove inaccurate information from my credit report and increase my credit. I now have a bank account at Self-Help Financial Credit Union. If it wasn’t for Carmen and the help she provided me at SparkPoint, I would still be in debt and unable to achieve my goals. This is a terrific program, run by dedicated and caring people, that should be available for a long time to continue to help others.

As EBALDC marks our 45th anniversary, we will be gathering more stories like this one from our friends, family, community members, partners and more stakeholders that have made our impact possible. We would be honored for you to join us:
To contribute your own story, visit: bit.ly/EBALDC45Stories
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Visit us online to read the stories: ebaldc.org/category/45-stories