Wealth & Poverty from Marketplace APM

Advocates for the unbanked worry about the Trump era


Listen Later

Nineteen year-old Roxana Mercado Rojo needed $700. She was brought to the U.S. from Bolivia as a toddler.  She’s undocumented, and decided to apply for an Obama administration program that lets people like her get temporary protection from deportation and eligibility for a work permit.  There’s a fee.  Where to get the money?“You know, I couldn’t kinda borrow from my parents and, you know, there wasn’t anyone of trust that I can borrow from,” she said.Mercado Rojo thought her only choice was a payday loan. Then she heard about a nonprofit called Good Fund.  It loans money to people who can’t borrow from a bank. Mercado Rojo got the money, and a job in the process.  Now she works for Good Fund. As a counselor, for people like her.  She says undocumented immigrants avoid banks, because they worry they’ll be turned in to immigration authorities.“But I think through, like banks and institutions – you know, anyone that could have your information – I think there’s a certain type of fear,” she said.The Treasury Department has worked closely with nonprofits like Good Fund, which use government grants to make loans. Amias Gerety is in charge of Treasury’s domestic financial inclusion programs. Gerety says these programs are for people who can’t get bank loans, because they don’t have the credit cards and mortgages needed to build up credit scores.  Gerety says Treasury has seeded money to non-profits across the country.  Helping people in need.“The issues are not going away," he said. "The issues of how people access safe and affordable financial products, and how they use the financial system to manage their economic challenges are not going away.”But, what is going away is the Obama administration, which created these financial inclusion programs.  So, some of the nonprofits Treasury’s worked with are worried that President-Elect Trump won’t pick up where President Obama leaves off.“There is a lot of worry, there is a lot of fear, there is a lot of sadness,” said Dara ...
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Wealth & Poverty from Marketplace APMBy American Public Media

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

37 ratings


More shows like Wealth & Poverty from Marketplace APM

View all
The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters by American Public Media

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

3,062 Listeners

Marketplace Morning Report by Marketplace

Marketplace Morning Report

922 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,740 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,775 Listeners

Marketplace All-in-One by Marketplace

Marketplace All-in-One

1,378 Listeners

PBS News Hour - Full Show by PBS NewsHour

PBS News Hour - Full Show

2,398 Listeners

Brains On! Science podcast for kids by American Public Media

Brains On! Science podcast for kids

13,481 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,841 Listeners

Thanks For Asking by Feelings & Co.

Thanks For Asking

13,298 Listeners

In The Dark by The New Yorker

In The Dark

27,660 Listeners

Smash Boom Best: A funny, smart debate show for kids and family by American Public Media

Smash Boom Best: A funny, smart debate show for kids and family

13,824 Listeners

Forever Ago by American Public Media

Forever Ago

6,167 Listeners

Million Bazillion by Marketplace

Million Bazillion

2,810 Listeners