Client stories

Eliana is single and lives alone with her three children in a three-bedroom council property. She is unemployed and in receipt of full benefits. Her eldest son is working full time, has ADHD and refused to contribute to the household costs. Her middle child had just finished education and was not working or claiming benefits and her young daughter was being assessed for autism. Eliana suffered with depression and anxiety and had been in and out of work since 2016. She had struggled financially since then. She had two County Court Judgments in her name, non-priority debt and Council Tax arrears being collected by bailiffs.

Eliana first met with our Debt Adviser regarding Rent and Council Tax arrears that totalled £4,361 and non-priority debts that totalled £19,686. She had a possession order on her property that she was behind on, so her tenancy was at risk.

We completed a financial statement with Eliana, and after seeing her bank statements, it became clear she had a gambling habit. According to the statements she was spending around £10,000 per quarter and also winning roughly the same amount. There were around 20 different transactions every day. We explained that we could not help/advise her unless she gave up gambling. She agreed to comply, and we referred her to Game Care for advice and support for her habit. She also spoke to her eldest son, and he agreed to pay the non-dependant rent charges (bedroom tax) that were taken away from Eliana’s benefits. We also advised the Eliana to apply for Personal Independent Payment for herself and Disability Living Allowance for her daughter when she was diagnosed with autism. This helped maximise her income.

We contacted Bristol City Rent Management and Council Tax, to negotiate with and explain Eliana’s situation. They agreed to hold off any further enforcement while she sought help. Eliana told us that she had stopped gambling and that after speaking to Game Care, started an 8-week counselling course which she completed successfully. Once we were sure that Eliana’s gambling had stopped, we sent for more credit reports and requested new bank statements. These confirmed that the gambling had ended.

We helped Eliana apply for a Debt Relief Order which was approved, clearing all her debts that totalled £24,078.42. This has given Eliana a completely fresh start with no debt, no gambling habit and increased income, enabling her to manage financially for the first time in years.

“Afterwards I felt like a balloon that was slowly deflating as the stress and tension began to ease away. NBAC have been fantastic with me…and worked tirelessly for me. A wonderful organisation who do invaluable work.”