About License to Succeed
A driver’s license is often a key to job readiness, as employers in many fields require job applicants to possess a valid license. However, a $50 or $75 parking or toll fine that a driver with a middle income pays without a thought quickly becomes unmanageable for a very low-income person. The unpaid fine snowballs into revocation of driving privileges and, ultimately, a severe job and family hardship. Through License to Succeed, Arm In Arm improves job prospects for adults, many of them parents who receive public assistance. With driver’s licenses restored and fines and fees resolved, adults are freed from relying on restrictive bus routes to travel between work and child care and can qualify for jobs in more fields of employment. To see the impact of this work read Angela’s story below.
Angela was living in a shelter for victims of domestic abuse, had no job, and the State had temporary custody of her young son. Angela knew that she had to make some real changes in her life. The first step came with a call to Arm In Arm. In the chaos that surrounded her, Angela had fallen behind on her bills, and fines owed for parking tickets were among those that went unpaid. Having lost her driver’s license as a result, she knew that her ability to get a decent job that paid a living wage depended upon her ability to drive to and from work. Arm In Arm could help. With guidance and financial assistance to pay off fines in three municipalities, and with her own savings applied toward a restoration fee, Angela could drive again. Next came a new job. Within one month after graduating from Arm In Arm’s License to Succeed program, Angela was employed as a Home Health Aide. Next, an approval for Section 8 housing meant that she had a stable roof overhead and a secure place to raise her son. Angela changed her life, starting with a call to Arm In Arm.Angela’s Story
Operating within Arm In Arm’s Workforce Development program since 2010, License to Succeed has assisted more than 480 Mercer County residents in attaining licenses. As one of only two non-profit organizations in Mercer County that provides license restoration assistance, Arm In Arm works with clients, providing administrative assistance and partial aid to jumpstart and supplement clients’ stake in paying fines and reinstatement fees and to establish manageable payment plans.
A disproportionate number of license suspensions occur in urban and low income areas where residents are ticketed at higher rates due to lack of street parking and alternate-side parking regulations. According to the NJ Institute for Social Justice, “the growing reliance on driver’s license suspension as a sanction has evolved into a mountain-sized barrier hindering employers looking for qualified workers, job training and other programs attempting to link people with jobs, and low-income and urban residents seeking quality employment opportunities.” The American Constitution Society reports, “A person’s driver’s license may be suspended without regard for their ability to pay. These policies hit communities of color and people with low incomes the hardest, and can result in a cycle of unemployment and inability to pay the outstanding debts, that then increases exposure to the criminal justice system.” The stories echo those of men and women who turn to License to Succeed: They want to improve their earning power through a restored license, but are not able to pay the accumulated fines, court fees, and restoration costs. Job-hunters lacking a driver’s license are restricted to local employers they can reach via public transportation; have limited child care options; and do not qualify for jobs that require a license including security, custodial, home health care aides, warehouse, and driver positions.
To apply, email drive@arminarm.org with your full name, phone number, and address. Applicants should obtain all required paperwork (listed below) before emailing.
If you’d like to support Arm In Arm’s License to Succeed Program, please click here or contact Maureen Hunt, Chief Development Officer, at maureenh@arminarm.org
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License to Succeed launched in 2009 with initial funding from the Karma Foundation, and has received grant support from the Social Outreach Committee of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, Truist Foundation, Friendship Baptist Church of Trenton, the Junior League of Greater Princeton, and the Zonta Club of Trenton/Mercer.