“You can’t just look at the right now. It’s one step at a time. I’m going to take my credit score as high as it will go…and then I’ll have more choices, more freedom.”
For years, Willie had been working to find the best pathway to improve his personal finances. “I have tried countless attempts, and spent thousands of dollars to various agencies attempting to repair my credit.” In fact, he spent more than $5,000 with so-called ‘credit repair agencies’ and saw no improvement to his credit report. It wasn’t until Willie came across information about Prosperity Connection’s programs that he felt like he had the resources he needed to make progress toward his goals.
Willie stated, “I’m a member of St. Louis Community Credit Union, and one day as I was exiting the bank, I saw some literature inviting anyone to come here [Prosperity Connection].” Willie decided to attend the class ‘Living with Bad Credit’, which helped him to evaluate his options, as well as get connected with Coach Evette Baker. After going through the intake process and getting down to work with his coach, Willie was able to establish a plan to eliminate debt and build his credit score.
“This program was the best thing that could have happened for me…Although I still got some way to go, I am eternally grateful to God for positioning me with the right company and the right people,” said Willie about his experience with Prosperity Connection. Since starting this journey with his financial coach, Willie has increased his credit score by 108 points and eliminated outstanding debt by $8,563! Willie continues work toward his goals, the biggest being his dream to own his own home so that he can watch his grandchildren play in the backyard.
Goal Achieved!
Willie spent years and thousands of dollars trying to repair his credit with for-profit companies that never delivered what they promised.
Discouraged, he found himself looking for help at a Prosperity Connection class over four years ago. “It all started with my financial coach, Evette,” he says about his financial journey.
“The blessed part was that it didn’t cost anything… I had a connection with Evette, and she gave me a realistic view of what sort of work I needed to do to actually purchase a home.”
Four years of hard work later, and Willie is settled into a beautiful home that he purchased in June. Overlooking a golf course, complete with a home movie theater and playroom for the grandkids downstairs, Willie is finally in a place that’s all his own.
It was not an easy road to get there. Over the course of four years, Willie kept working on short-term goals that got him closer and closer to homeownership. At the same time, Evette introduced him to one of our banking partners, Dion Fields. Evette, Dion, and Willie’s real estate agent Valerie became what Willie calls his “dream team,” who saw him through personal setbacks and a home purchase that fell through at the last minute.
Evette says Willie is “the most patient man alive,” who kept working through disappointment in order to achieve his goal. The hardest part, according to Willie, was staying on track; it is easy to get distracted from your goals when you have other financial obligations.
Willie credits his success to his dream team and to God. After years of taking steps towards his goals, he says, “Dreams really do come true, but you have to really want it and stay focused; trust God and you can do it.”
Congratulations to Willie!
YaNan Bledsoe (She/Her)
