A FWI Success Story
“People Should Have Access to Quality Information.”
From his new home in Pitman, Gloucester County, Andrew Wyatt’s dog lives the life of a prince – which is fitting, considering the pup’s name is Prince. The Chihuahua-Poodle-Schnauzer mix frolics in a fenced backyard of all his own, laying in the grass and coming and going through his personal doggy door whenever he sees fit. Being able to provide Prince with this life is a source of pride for Wyatt, as he is a dog lover at heart.
Life wasn’t always so idyllic for Wyatt and Prince, though. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” Wyatt says, referring to his lack of knowledge about managing finances. “It’s one of those things that people don’t talk about. People should have access to quality information.”
Thanks to recommendations from Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Wyatt was directed to Financial Wellness Institute. “I needed a little guidance and a little bit of a kick in the butt and Wanda Hardy can provide both of those,” Wyatt shared. “I needed help working with creditors and developing a budget for the first time. I just had to put forth the effort and Wanda worked just as hard, or harder, than I did to help me reach my goals.”
About a year after Wyatt first began working with Hardy, he achieved his goal of buying his first home. “Everything came together,” he said. “Wanda helped me move into a perfect situation, and stay in a perfect situation – setting me up with knowledge to maintain a budget.
“Knowing that you have a place that’s yours is a good feeling.” Now Wyatt’s nieces and nephews visit their uncle in his family-friendly neighborhood for trick-or-treating at Halloween and can play with Prince in the backyard.
Wyatt is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University, having since earned his bachelor’s at Rutgers in psychology and his associate degree from RCGC in arts and science, social and human service option.