Money matters: here to help

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If you’re struggling with your finances, ask for help

That’s the message from one Wrekin tenant who has now cleared over £18,000 worth of debt thanks to the help of our Money Matters team.

Jane*, a mum-of-two from Shrewsbury, reached out for help after she struggled to keep her head above water with debt.

She said: “I was having a tough time. I had built up debts and my monthly wages were being used to pay it off. It left me very little for food and other essentials. I had credit card, loan and overdraft debt."

“I work full-time, so my childcare costs are really expensive. I was having to pay for our weekly food shop on credit cards – so the debt began to creep up slowly."

“I had been stressing about my debt for at least two years before I plucked up the courage to get in touch. I felt sick and wasn’t sleeping. I was ashamed and embarrassed, no-one around me knew the extent of my debt.”

Jane reached out to the Money Matters Team and worked closely with Debt Advisor, Lois Alexander.

Jane added: “Lois helped me pull all my debts into one place. She helped me work out a budget, along with monthly income and outgoings. It was really useful to see it all in one place and, although the amount of debt was bad, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had built it up in my head.”

Lois said: “When I first met Jane, she was clearly struggling – both with her finances and her mental health. Jane was working so hard to provide for her family, she just needed some additional support. We broke everything down in to manageable steps. I helped her come up with a more realistic budget, which in turn increased the amount of money she
could use for essentials."

“Working together, we were able to secure a Debt Relief Order (DRO) – which cleared all of her remaining debt.”

Jane added: “I cannot put into words the impact accessing this service has had on my mental health. It has made me realise that debt isn’t anything to be ashamed of. I will never be able to thank Lois enough for everything.”

Here to help
We know that it can be hard to take the first steps to talk about money or get advice.

Our friendly Money Matters team are here for you. They offer a confidential, non-judgemental service to support all
tenants.

t: 01952 217234
e: money.matters@wrekin.com

*Name changed at the request of the customer