Microloan officer clears up editorial’s inaccuracies

TO THE EDITOR:

The Community Empowerment Fund seeks to clarify and to correct the editorial “Lending a hand” (Sept. 8) in which suggestions for the program were made.

During the CEF pilot program — currently the only microloan program in the country for the homeless — we processed 18 loan applications and approved five. In place of a loan, the unapproved applicants received support from a minimum of two student volunteers who spent countless hours connecting them to services in the community to better their current situation.

The unapproved applicants also regularly take part in CEF workshops, which are open to everyone in the community. Workshops cover topics such as financial training, computer skills, and resume building.

Attendees are also provided transportation assistance, a meal, and childcare.

CEF is more than a loan program; we provide all applicants with as many resources as we can. CEF loans support the empowerment of individual currently or at risk of experiencing homelessness through sustainable investments in housing, small business and employment.

To clarify, the loans we issue are not ‘to pursue skill workshops.’

This semester we hope to expand our services and we need more volunteers. We welcome any students interested in helping to provide these services to the Chapel Hill community to attend our weekly meetings on Sundays at 6 p.m. in the Campus Y.

Andrea Ramos
Senior Loan Officer
Community Empowerment Fund