Our Mission
THE MISSION OF SECOND CHANCE CARS IS TO MOBILIZE LOW-INCOME WORKFORCE MEMBERS TO BETTER COMPETE FOR LIVING-WAGE JOBS THROUGH AFFORDABLE CAR OWNERSHIP.
Our Vision
A MORE ROBUST ECONOMY WHERE LOW-INCOME CITIZENS HAVE THE TRAINING AND TRANSPORTATION THEY NEED TO REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL.
For many low-income Massachusetts residents, especially those living outside of Boston, car ownership remains a barrier to escaping poverty. A Mass Inc. report states that “only a small majority of jobs in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities are accessible by transit with less than a 90-minute one-way commute.” Additionally, a 2015 Harvard University upward mobility study found that commuting time “has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty.”
“Commuting time, not crime or schooling “has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty. The longer an average commute…the worse the chances of low-income families there moving up the ladder.”
New York Times
While the need is deep and the impact proven and profound, virtually no one in Massachusetts is offering affordable car ownership to low-income people.
Second Chance Cars (SCC) looks to fill that gap and partners with several Massachusetts nonprofit organizations that serve low-income veterans, healthcare workers, and citizens reentering society. Together with these partners, Second Chance Cars selects and pairs qualified candidates with carefully chosen and refurbished used cars. Grateful recipients pay $900 for a car—$75 per month for one year—via a zero-interest and credit-score-building loan through SCC’s financial partner, the City of Boston Credit Union.