GreeningFrogtownJulyAug17

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WEALTHIFICATION A Path Out of the Payday Lending Trap Exodus Lending buys out loans, cuts interest costs to zero David Bayliss had a problem that will seem all too familiar to some Frogtowners. He had a decent job that paid the bills. Then he got laid off in November, 201 4. Unemployment payments lasted for six months. While it was a help, the amount didn’t match his previous income. He was falling behind on his bills, which were considerable. He had to cover rent, a car payment, support for his former wife and children, plus food and all the rest of life’s incidentals. He got behind on rent, behind on car payments, and was paying utilities intermittently. When he finally found another job in June of 201 5, his problems didn’t really end. His pay wasn’t enough to allow him to stay current on his bills, plus catch up with all that he owed. Bayliss’s next move was to do what 1 2 million Americans do every year. He took out a payday loan. He knew it wasn’t the best move. But it was the only one he felt he had left. “You take out a payday loan because you absolutely need it,” he said. “You’re at a David Bayliss escaped the payday lending trap with help from Exodus Lending. point where you’re willing to sign up for anything. It’s the step right before being out on the street.” To get a payday loan, as too many Frogtown residents may already know, you need to have a job and a bank account. The loan limit is $350 at some shops, and $500 or more at others. You’ve got to pay the amount back in full on your next payday, plus fees and interest. On a $500 loan, the fees and interest can run to more than $33. If this were a conventional loan, the annual percentage rate (APR) would be 1 63 percent. But fees for smaller amounts are an even worse deal. Borrow just $200 and the annual percentage rate with interest and fees is 365 percent. Bayliss took out his first payday loan via an online operation in August, 201 5. When it came due he didn’t have the money to pay it off. He did what many people do to satisfy his payday loan. He took out another payday loan to pay off the first one. Again he paid the fees and interest that added up, in his case, to an APR of 578 percent. For Bayliss, history repeated itself every two weeks, when his loan came due and he paid fees and interest to get another loan. He tried going to his bank for a small loan to close the gap, but quickly got an education in current banking practice. Most banks aren’t set up to provide small loans for living expenses. If you’ve had a bankruptcy in the past 1 0 years, which was the case for Bayliss, you’re way out of luck. The bank officer was sympathetic, but didn’t have anything to offer. She suggested that Bayliss hunt around for a non-profit that might be able to help. — Continued, Page 11 PAGE 2 JULY/AUGUST / 2017 6
Paint and Dirt Flies as Charles Avenue Rejuvenation Project Gets Underway If you drove past the 500 block of Charles Avenue on June 1 0, you saw a bustle of activity as a group of neighbors and local organizations started on an experiment to transform the block. Most times, the work on neighborhood revitalization goes something like this: A nonprofit group builds or rehabs a house on a block. There’s one spruced up property, but the rest of the block remains the same. This time around, the idea was different. A collaboration of organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, NeighborWorks Home Partners, Preserve Frogtown and the Frogtown Neighborhood Association got together to ask neighbors how they wanted their block to change, and then put together a plan to make it happen. Shovels hit the dirt on a Saturday morning, as about 50 volunteers from Habitat, the African American men’s group Ujamaa Place, NeighborWorks, Youth Farm and Thrivent Financial joined a collection of neighbors to start in on rejuvenating the block. Among the projects: 1 0 new flower and vegetable gardens with fresh, rich compost; a patched-up garage with new siding and paint; a bright accent of paint on a front porch; a new door and stoop; a new window; and a start on a new roof. FROGTOWN NEWS The block is recognized as a remarkably intact collection of turn-of-the-century workers’ cottages — small, modest homes not so much notable for their high style as for being a preserved stretch of housing that speaks to the accomplishments of the common man. “This wasn’t the end. It was the kick off, a beginning,” said Amanda Welliver at NeighborWorks after the 9 am to 3 pm project wrapped up. “This was a really good learning process for both the organizations and the neighbors." She noted that participation from neighbors grew as the Saturday event drew closer. At first only three neighbors wanted help planting a garden. “We developed a lot of new relationships. We had neighbors talking who hadn’t talked together over decades of living on the block. They were working together, talking about holding pot lucks.” "We did a good job, and everybody was helping out," said Steve Fagerland. "With all the new planting the block will look a lot better in a couple years." From left, Shoreé Ingram, Beth Hyser and Eva Moe from NeighborWorks Home Partners were among the 60+ workers on the June 1 0 Charles Ave. kick-off. Trash System Talks Near Finish Line St Paul could be closer to a revamped trash collection system, once negotiations are finalized between the city and the 1 5 collection companies that currently serve Saint Paul neighborhoods. After several marathon meetings in June, participants are closing in on agreement over a new system that will be acceptable to both haulers and city officials, reports Kris Hageman, the city's Recycling and Solid Waste Program Manager. Organized trash collection advocates have espoused a system that divides the city into zones assigned to different haulers, instead of the current system that results in multiple haulers covering the same area. A new system could make provisions for hauling bulky items like mattresses and appliances, which now often end up littering Frogtown alleys. Details of the proposal are still being worked out, but a public hearing is set for Wed., July 1 9 at 5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers, Rm 31 0, City Hall. The Council will receive a staff update and recommendation for next steps toward implementing an organized trash collection system. Find out more at the city's "Coordinated Collection" webpage at: www.stpaul.gov/departments/publicworks/garbage/coordinated-collection. Patty Lammers and Johnny Howard are newly hired to serve in crime prevention and community engagement roles with the St. Paul Police Department. Frogtowners Are Link to St. Paul Cops The St. Paul Police Department added two new Frogtown-friendly staff members, bringing onboard long-time neighborhood resident and organizer Johnny Howard as community engagement specialist and outreach coordinator to the African American community, and native Frogtowner Patty Lammers as crime prevention coordinator. Howard led the Thomas Dale Block Clubs from 1 991 to 2006, building it into a network of affiliated Frogtown block clubs during a troubled period in neighborhood history. In addition to block-by-block organizing, the group ran a lawn service that employed local people, youth programs and food distribution services. Howard was also the director of West Minne’s youth football program for 1 8 years, coaching about 1 00 kids each season, and has served on the boards of organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League and the African American Leadership Council. Lammers, who has since migrated to the North End, grew up in Frogtown and, like Howard, is a familiar figure. She served on the board of the organization now known as the Frogtown Neighborhood Association for eight years, worked for the Thomas Dale Block Clubs throughout the 1 990s and later for the Greater Frogtown CDC and NeighborWorks Home Partners. She also chaired the Frogtown area Weed and Seed program, a neighborhood anti-crime and revitalization program, for eight years. Howard was one of 1 20 candidates considered for the new position, which is intended to help bridge the gap between police and the African American community. The idea is to create channels of communication before a crisis erupts. “The biggest thing is, you have to get out of the seat and on your feet,” said Howard. “I can’t be sitting in the office. I’ve got to walk down to the SuperAmerica, go to the Wilder complex. I’ve got to be at the coffeehouse. You can’t do it from a desk," he said. As crime prevention coordinator, Lammers is charged with working across the city to coordinate events such as National Night Out, plus assisting with block club organizing efforts. She will also connect neighbors to police information efforts, such as the monthly Western District community meetings. You can see Lammers in action at the Thursday, July 1 8 meeting, 9:30-11 am and 6:30-8 pm at 389 Hamline, and at the Thursday, August 1 5 meeting at the same times and location. Fenced Dale St. Lot Bought by NDC The dust-up over the vacant lot at 507 N. Dale St. ended recently when the taxforfeit property was bought by the Frogtown-based non-profit, Neighborhood Development Center. The lot, formerly home to the sincedemolished Rock ofAges church, was the source of a dispute between Ramsey County, the Community Stabilization Project, and the Frogtown Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood groups planted a raised-bed community garden on the abandoned site. The county insisted that the garden be removed. When they failed to make a deal, the county surrounded the lot with a chainlink fence. NDC director Mike Temali says the fence will come down, and the property will be used as green space and parking for businesses in the office building at 501 N. Dale. NDC paid $79,900 for the property. Meanwhile, a court case between Rock of Ages church and the city, alleging that the church was unfairly compensated for its property, continues. The church was demolished in 2009 after the congregation was unable to afford extensive repairs ordered by St. Paul inspectors. JULY/AUGUST 2017 PAGE 3
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GreeningFrogtownJulyAug17

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