Month: April 2018

Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney was a trusted pastor, civil rights advocate, and visionary leader. During his lifetime, he recognized many injustices facing communities of color and was moved to take action. Dr. McKinney was compelled to give his fellow community members a stronger voice by protesting peacefully. He saw the civil rights era as a more prominent movement to promote stronger protection rights for all people. We are an extension of Dr. McKinney’s work because our community members continue to face social, political, economic, and legal injustices. However, his passion for and legacy of social justice remain a source of inspiration to us. We continue to keep his loved ones in our hearts and thoughts. Read Dr. McKinney’s obituary, here.

Aureliano arrived at El Centro de la Raza where he initially requested assistance for translation services. He had received a box from CenturyLink though never subscribed to such a service himself. Could it be that someone was using his identity?

One of our case managers at El Centro de la Raza then called CenturyLink on Aureliano’s behalf to inquire about the unsought box. It turned out that CenturyLink had dispatched the equipment in advance of obtaining Aureliano’s signature. While someone had used Aureliano’s identity to acquire telecommunication services, he was free of any liabilities.

That case manager identified another opportunity to further assist Aureliano by asking him about his experience with pulling credit reports, a management tool to track his credit history. Aureliano had yet to request one. With his consent, the case manager proceeded to help him obtain his first credit report on the spot.

Moments later after downloading Aureliano’s credit report, he was staggered to discover that he was liable for $30,895 in collection debt, much to which he was not privy. He had never received any bill notifications related to the list of unfamiliar expenses. Aureliano and his case manager acted immediately by challenging the supposed debt across eleven accounts. On that same day, they prepared and submitted debt validation letters to multiple creditors.

After roughly three weeks of anticipation, Aureliano was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief as the weight of $28,000 dissipated from his shoulders. An insurance company had mistakenly billed Aureliano and thus issued a reversal notice. Aureliano’s name was no longer tied to that enormous debt.

Today, Aureliano remains on the right path towards financial empowerment. He meets monthly with his case manager at El Centro de la Raza where he has demonstrated with proficiency how to complete and maintain a budget. He continues to save despite living from paycheck to paycheck.