Case Studies
Dealing with multiple Debts
Mr J came to the Bureau for help after losing his job and realising he was unable to meet his regular financial outgoings. After an initial interview with a volunteer generalist adviser he was referred internally to a specialist debt caseworker who negotiated a payment arrangement with his mortgage company, and as a result, his forthcoming possession hearing was withdrawn. Payment arrangements were also set up for his Council Tax and utility bills.
Mr J also had a number of credit cards and unsecured loans. The Bureau contacted these companies and negotiated with them not to take any recovery action for three months.
By the end of this period, Mr J had secured new employment and the Bureau was able to make new arrangements for him to repay his credit debts in affordable instalments.
Resolving a threatened eviction
Mrs R came to the bureau for help because she was being threatened with eviction over her significant rent arrears. After an interview with a volunteer generalist adviser she was referred internally to a specialist housing caseworker who wrote to the landlord for further information, including a list of the dates during which the arrears had accrued. The reply confirmed that the arrears were due to the recovery of an overpayment of housing benefit.
The caseworker then wrote on the client's behalf to the Housing Benefit Department for details of benefits paid and the length of time the client had been in receipt of them. Once they had been able to gather all the relevant information and proof of benefit together they were able to establish that the client had not been overpaid and therefore no recovery of housing benefit should take place and that her rent arrears were actually less than £50. If the client had just accepted the overpayment bill without a challenge and without our help, it could have cost her the home and placed her into debt for some considerable time.
