Can you get a loan on unemployment benefits in NY? Need money for car repair
My transmission just died and I need about $2,800 to fix it or I can't get to my job interviews. I've been collecting unemployment through NYS Department of Labor for about 6 weeks now getting $420 per week. Has anyone been able to get any kind of loan while on unemployment? I tried my bank but they said unemployment doesn't count as stable income. Really desperate here because without my car I can't meet the job search requirements either.
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Nia Johnson
Most traditional lenders won't approve loans based solely on unemployment income since it's temporary. However, some credit unions are more flexible - try checking with local credit unions in your area. Also, have you looked into emergency assistance programs? Some counties in NY have emergency funds for transportation issues that affect employment.
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Luca Conti
•I didn't know about county programs! Do you know how to find those? And would using emergency assistance affect my unemployment benefits?
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CyberNinja
been there!! couldn't get approved for anything when i was on unemployment last year. ended up borrowing from family but i know thats not always an option
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Mateo Lopez
A few things to consider: First, using emergency assistance won't affect your UI benefits - those programs are separate. Second, some online lenders do consider unemployment as income, but the interest rates are usually terrible. Third, you might want to call NYS Department of Labor about your transportation issue - they sometimes have resources or can connect you with job training programs that include transportation assistance. The job search requirement can be modified in some cases if you have documented transportation barriers.
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Luca Conti
•Really? They can modify the job search requirement? I've been stressing about that part. How do I bring that up with them without it sounding like I'm trying to get out of looking for work?
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Mateo Lopez
•Just be honest about the transportation barrier. Document your car repair estimates and explain how it's preventing you from attending interviews. They'd rather work with you on a solution than have you miss opportunities because of a fixable problem.
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Aisha Abdullah
I've been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my own claim issues and can never get through! The phone system is impossible. How do you actually talk to a real person there?
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Ethan Davis
I had the same problem reaching NYS Department of Labor agents until someone recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually get you connected to a real agent instead of dealing with the endless busy signals and hangups. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it last month when my weekly claim got stuck and was able to talk to someone within a day.
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Aisha Abdullah
•That actually sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point. Did they charge you a lot for it?
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Ethan Davis
•They focus more on just getting you connected rather than the cost. For me it was worth it because I was losing weeks of benefits trying to get through on my own.
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Yuki Tanaka
Maybe look into getting a secured credit card? You put down a deposit and that becomes your credit limit. Not ideal but might be better than predatory loans
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Carmen Ortiz
This whole system is messed up! You need a car to find work but you can't get money to fix your car because you don't have work. It's like they want to keep people trapped in the unemployment cycle. I went through the same thing and ended up taking a payday loan that took me months to pay off. Such a scam.
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