The Working People of South Carolina are under attack—in the last decade, Predatory Lenders have made SC their home to exploit, entrap and even cheat the workers of our state out of their hard earned money by charging high rates of interests on consumer loans. From Mortgage Lending, Rent-To-Own Lending, Car Title Lending, Rapid Tax Refund Loans and Pay Day Lending, some lenders have charged South Carolinians between 300% and 600% on these short term loans.
SC Fair Share is currently working to curb the practices of the Pay Day lending industry. This industry has done significant damage to everyday citizens by entrapping them into a cycle of debt that they have little way of escape. These lenders typically charge an APR of 391% on its loans.
In 2000 licensed pay day lenders wrote 2,659,550 contracts that resulted in approximately $91,021,340.00 in charges. During fiscal year 2005, 4,175,7111 loans were made with charges of approximately $146,554,487. In a four year period 17,797,365 payday loans were made in South Carolina paying out approximately $620,675,487.00 in fees.
We are organizing South Carolinians that have been taken advantage of by these institutions. Fair Share believes that its bad for our state's economy and our workers to allow consumers to be charged 391% interest. If you would like to join our organizing efforts to restrict Pay Day Lending in South Carolina or if you have been taken advantage of by these lenders please contact Roger Finch for more information @ 803-252-9813, ext 104.
Health Care Access
Fair Share believes that affordable, quality health care should
be accessible to all people living in America. Unequal access to health care is
a fundamental injustice in our society that has profound implications for
families ' physical and economic security.
Fair Share fights for access to quality health care in South Carolina, through campaigns to bolster public health care programs such as Medicaid, ensure access to community benefits from health insurers and hospitals, protect the rights of consumers of health care services, and achieve the just and equitable financing of our health care system.
We are fighting to increase access to health care through the reduction of barriers to enrollment and the maximization of funding for state Medicaid programs for low-income children and adults. South Carolina’s health insurance programs for low-income people are under attack. Due to state deficits and budget cuts, policymakers are trying to find ways to reduce costs and eliminate services to more than 800,000 South Carolinians depending on Medicaid programs to meet their health care needs. In addition, there are an estimated 500,000 South Carolinians that are not eligible for Medicaid and are currently without health coverage of any kind, more than a third of these are adults age 30-49 and children. Fair Share is pressing the state to protect Medicaid from budget cuts and expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-wage working parents.
Fair Share works with concerned citizens, local and statewide groups to expand health care access, especially for the uninsured and medically underserved. We help consumers analyze public policy; education the public; influence regulators and other public officials; negotiate with health care institutions; and secure public policy changes. For more information or to get involved contact Anton Gunn @ 803-252-9813 ext 101.
Access to Public
Benefits
Fair Share is
conducting strategic organizing, consumer education, advocacy, and research and
on the redesign of welfare or TANF and its related programs. The goal of this
program is to hold state agencies accountable, redefine the discussion around
supports for low-income families, and expand South Carolina’s commitment of
resources to supporting the working poor.
Thousands of families are not receiving the benefits for which they are eligible or to which they are entitled. The “poor” implementation of public benefit programs (including Medicaid, food stamps and child care) includes burdensome application procedures (some in violation of federal law), and a culture of discrimination and intimidation at the welfare office. Fair Share has waged a campaign to eliminate barriers, adopt innovative enrollment strategies, and adopt full enrollment in public programs as an explicit goal. Fair Share has used action research methodologies such as “testing” to document the barriers that deter access. Fair Share plans to initiate additional campaigns at the state level, with a goal of securing administrative and policy changes to require South Carolina to adopt model enrollment strategies. To get involved or for more information contact Lena Climbingbear @ 803-252-9813, ext 103.
Public Policy and
Advocacy
Fair Share is working to protect the interest of everyday consumers from the
deceptive practices of government and businesses. We believe in full
accountability of all sectors to the consumers they serve. We are working to
educate the public about the importance of the civil justice system and the
dangers of so-called "tort reforms. Fair Share fights to protect the right to
trial by jury and an independent judiciary for all Americans.
We are the voice of the everyday consumer in the statehouse for protections for consumers when they need health care, borrow money, or use electricity. SC Fair Share pushes state agencies to follow the law on issues like Medicaid, Food Stamps and welfare. Fair Share teaches citizens how to make their voices heard on the issues that affect their daily lives.
Fair Share has protected the interest of South Carolina citizens for more than 15 years. Through advocacy, education and community organizing South Carolina Fair Share has worked on many issues that focuses on real people in real communities. Fair Share has been involved in auto insurance, utility deregulation, medical malpractice, transportation, hospital conversions, wage garnishment, and tort reform. For more information contact John Ruoff @ 803-252-9813, ext 104.
Download a South Carolina Fair Share Membership Form
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