Lending with grace: Breaking the cycle of payday loans
Often when something goes wrong—when a child gets sick or a car breaks down—people need extra money fast. As former Pittsburgh cop Tony Wiles knows, people who need money fast are vulnerable.
“I grew up in the inner city, so I’ve seen it all,” he said. “Loan sharks, pawnshops and payday loan companies on every corner.”
Wiles hadn’t considered doing anything about the issue until Rock Dillaman, his pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church, preached a sermon on justice. The pastor planted a seed that led Wiles to develop a low-cost payday lender called Grace Period.
