Photo not that of the actual client.
“Nate,” 57, came to JALA seeking help with a student loan garnishment.
A former felon, he had long ago served his time and had been striving to be a productive member of society ever since. He’d gotten married, had a baby boy and gone to school to become a welder. However, his criminal record was hindering his efforts to find a job.
Adding to his struggles, his wife passed away, leaving Nate to care for his growing son, who has autism, on his own.
Nate works part-time jobs to get by, but he hadn’t been earning enough to stay on top of his student loan payments from welding school. As a result, his income tax refund was garnished for $1,831. He had been counting on the money from the refund to make rent payments and pay down other bills.
As a result of the garnishment, Nate has been on the verge of homelessness, receiving eviction notice after eviction notice. He tried many times on his own to recoup his refund money, each time to no avail. Working with him over the past several months, JALA was able to assemble a packet with all the documents the loan servicer required and submit a hardship reimbursement form.
Eventually Nate came into the JALA office feeling ecstatic, as his hardship application was finally approved. He now has the money to pay down some of his outstanding debts and hopes to remain in his family home with his son.
JALA continues to assist Nate with his student loan issue going forward. With JALA’s help, he hopes to obtain a reasonable payment plan and rehabilitate his loan to give him better repayment options so he can avoid future garnishments.
