Success Stories

Take a look at what some of our members say about how Express CU has helped them with a specific need or made a positive difference in their financial life.

John Paul Benoit (age 41)

J.P. joined the credit union with the help of Express' CMSR at the YWCA Opportunity Place in February 2009. Jim's wife, who had a neurological disorder, was being discharged from hospital but the facility would not release her until she had a home to return to. He needed a loan to secure an apartment, together with the first and last month's rent, but he also has an outstanding debt of $53,000 in hospital bills. Knowing he was low income and suspecting he was eligible for assistance, ECU staff called the hospital to explore whether Jim would qualify for financial aid. With ECU's help, the medical bills were reduced to $5,000 and he was enrolled in a payment plan. Jim has a full-time job as a motorcycle mechanic and has a monthly income. Since the collections were waived, he was eligible for a fresh start loan, which gave him the money he needed for housing while consolidating an unmanageable pile of smaller debts rather than exacerbating it. Now, Jim and his wife have an apartment in Seattle and Jim is helping care for her at home while she recovers from her illness.

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