Money Matters help tenant clear over £18,000 worth of debt

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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. There was also an issue with my child tax credits and I wasn’t being awarded the full amount.

“Asking for help was awful, I had been stressing about my debt for at least 2 years before I picked up the courage to do it. 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.

Wrekin’s Money Matters Team offer support and knowledge on everything from welfare benefits, managing your money and help with paying your rent.

In the last year alone, the team received 1,743 referrals for support, with the team nearly £5m in extra income for Wrekin tenants.

Jane added: “I was really nervous, but Lois was so reassuring and lovely, she put me at ease straight away. She also gave me a mobile number, which was really handy for me, any questions I had, I could drop her a quick Whatsapp message.

“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. We were able to secure Jane additional support from a local food bank.

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

Jane added: “Lois was amazing, I would say from start to finish, but the support never stops, it’s always there and open. I never felt judged by Lois, or that I was asking a ‘silly’ question.

“I cannot put into words the impact accessing this service has had on my mental health. The way I was treated by Lois, has made me realise that debt isn’t anything to be ashamed of, as a result I have spoken to friends and family about it.

“I will never be able to thank Lois enough for everything.”

*Name changed at the request of the customer

4th May 2023