During the coronavirus pandemic many people have been made redundant, others have been furloughed to protect their jobs and many have had to claim benefits. The government, regulators and firms have acted to protect people from the financial impact of coronavirus by pausing large parts of the economy. Across the housing sector, local authorities and essential services, short term protections (pauses on enforcement, eviction or repayment holidays) have been in place to help prevent the immediate impact of debt.
But now, as lockdown measures are eased, the support mechanisms are also being removed and the debts which have built up need to be dealt with.
TACKLE DEBT AS SOON AS YOU CAN!
Citizens Advice offers self- help advice at:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk and click on ‘debt and money’
or if you need to contact an adviser for free, impartial, confidential advice, check the details below for local telephone and e-mail contacts, or in some instances, office-based video advice.
Some examples of people who have come to us for help are:
Tony* had thought his job was safe but is now likely to be made redundant. He wanted to know his rights.
Jenny* is a private renter who has missed rent payments. She wants to know how she can hold on to her flat and avoid eviction.
Anika* and Gary* have missed paying their Council Tax. They’ve heard that the Council could send the Bailiffs to collect the outstanding payments and would like to know how to avoid this happening.
Chris* has fallen behind with her mobile phone payments. She relies on her mobile to search for and apply for jobs. She’s worried that as lockdown ends her phone company might demand the money or cut her off and would like some help to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Tammy* and Ahmed* have benefitted from a mortgage holiday, but they now must catch up with their payments. They are seeking help on how to deal with this.
Mary* is a single parent whose washing machine had broken down. She couldn’t afford to replace it and came to us for help. We were able to link her with local charitable organisations who were able to help.
Many people who come to us for help have multiple problems, some of which may have existed before coronavirus. This would be a good time to get advice from our trained advisers on how to deal with all your issues. We can help you to prioritise your problems and sort them out gradually, or signpost you to other organisations who might be in a better position to help with some of them.
Don’t sit and worry about the problems, the earlier you ask for help, the sooner you can find a solution.
*Not their real names to protect confidentiality
We’re here to help. Our free, independent and confidential advice services will continue to be available:
Contact us by PHONE on 0344 848 7969 to speak to an adviser
Contact us by e-mail on www.citizensadvicecasws.org.uk and use the Citizens Advice Waverley e-mail form.
South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Outreach Team –
PHONE 01483 898884 9 to 4 Monday to Friday e.mail swr@swsda.org.uk website https://www.swsda.org.uk/
In cases of immediate danger call the police 999
Citizens Advice Waverley is a registered charity. You can help local people by making a donation at https://casws.org.uk/fundraising . Your donation stays local and will ensure we are here to help local people when they most need it.
You can follow Citizens Advice Waverley on:
https://twitter.com/waverleycab
