Jordan's Story

When Jordan’s car broke down in December 2021, she was devastated. She had it assessed at a traditional car shop but didn’t have $900 on hand to fix the clutch. “I had previously lived without a car for five years and you don’t realize what a blessing it is to have a car,” Jordan, a single mother of two, recalled.  “I used to miss some of my son’s basketball games because I just couldn’t get there. Not having a car is like having a weight on you.” 

She knew she needed to get her car fixed because relying on public transportation meant a one hour and twenty minute commute to work each way. Picking up her kids was also a struggle because the public bus stops weren’t close to their school. While Jordan earned extra money working for InstaCart and DoorDash, she couldn’t take advantage of these financial opportunities without her own reliable transportation.

Luckily, Jordan was earning her Associate Degree in business at PeletonU through CityLink Center. She shared her situation with her case manager, and was referred to the Repair Program at ChangingGears. All active CityLink clients are eligible for the Repair Program, which includes a free car assessment and repairs offered at half the retail price. 

“Everyone at ChangingGears was really nice and understanding. They assessed my car and it had more things wrong than I originally thought, but ChangingGears was able to get me back up and running. My family lives over two hours away, so I don’t have anyone to depend on here for a ride,” Jordan recounted. “They even fixed the crank on my driver side window out of the kindness of their hearts. It wasn’t included in the assessment, and when I went to pick up the car, the auto technician said they had an extra ‘Christmas gift’ for me. It almost made me cry.”

Jordan is now back to work, earning extra income, taking classes and transporting her kids where they need to be. “I wanted to thank everyone from ChangingGears. You are so amazing! You may be fixing cars, but you allowed me to get back to work and move forward with my life. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you all.”