Client stories

Christa, 44, lives in a two-bedroom flat alongside her teenage daughter and partner. When her partner suffered a stroke he could no longer work and Christa took on the role of sole provider for their household. With less money now coming in, they soon started to fall behind on their priority payments, building up high levels of rent and energy arrears. Christa and her family began relying on credit cards to pay for everyday costs, which were increasing, as well as any unexpected costs. Although her partner’s recent eligibility for Personal Independent Payment benefits, as well as their joint Universal Credit claim, offered some increased income, they could not cope with the high cost of everything. By the time Crista came to NBAC for help, they had accumulated over £18,000 in debt.

Christa attended a face-to-face appointment with one of our debt advisers. He outlined her different options for managing her debt, including negotiating payments with her creditors. Christa decided that the best course of action was to obtain a Debt Relief Order (DRO). However, due to having made a previous application, Christa had to wait to apply again until the 6 year expiry date had passed.

Our adviser worked with her to create a sustainable action plan to manage the debt in the meantime. This included creating a household budget to get a clear view of income and expenditure, and managing payments to priority creditors and agreeing token payments with non-priority creditors. He provided her with resources and tools to monitor her progress and ensure she stayed on track with her payments.

A few months later, when she was able to apply, Christa met with our adviser again. They completed a review of her financial circumstances and verified her debts. As Christa was ready to move ahead with a DRO, an application pack was completed and passed on the national DRO hub. Thanks to the help of her adviser to review her finances, Christa now has a balanced budget and enough surplus income to manage unexpected costs and help prevent debt accruing in the future.

“The help I received was a game changer. It came at a time when I was feeling lost and hopeless. But once my issue was resolved, I could finally take control and see the bright side of life. Now, nine months later, I am back in charge and starting each day with a smile.”