Volunteering can pay of your SPER debit, Just ask Nick

For people like Nick, having a large SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Registry) debt was like dragging a ball and chain around. It was always in the back of his mind and worrying about how to pay it off took up a lot of his thoughts. It felt like an impossible task. It seemed too difficult to find a job that paid well enough to cover his family needs, let alone pay off the debt he had incurred during a really challenging time in his life.

When Nick found out about Substation33, and that volunteering with us can count towards paying off a SPER debt, he jumped at the chance and threw himself into doing as many hours as possible. Nick ended up gaining a lot more than he expected out of the experience. He learned new skills while putting his old skills to good use, found new confidence, made new friends, and landed a job in Substation33’s new container processing facility.

The best part? In just over a year, Nick was able to pay off the entire $16,000 of his SPER debt! Because of that he can get his license back and has also been able to buy a car. He is keen to take his kids camping and give them experiences he has not yet been able to.

We are beyond happy for Nick and love supporting him and others in similar situations to move towards living a life that is meaningful to them without the ongoing burden of a SPER debt. We find at Substation33 that when we help one person it ripples through their family and into their community to make us all better.