Craig's Story

Craig is happily married with a beautiful child, but that doesn’t mean that things have always been easy. His health isn’t great and neither is his daughter’s: when he was signed off work sick several years ago he wasn’t able to properly take care of himself because he had to spend so much of his time looking after her complex needs. He was scared: he didn’t know if he was going to get better, but he did know there wasn’t enough money coming in.

The family still had one income and were just about keeping their heads above water, but Craig was worried. They could just about pay their mortgage, but he’d noticed that they weren’t keeping up with their phone or energy bills.

He came to see our Money Advice Unit once it was clear to him that the unpaid bills weren’t going to go away on their own. We helped him to understand exactly how much he and his family owed, and helped him to apply for the benefits he was entitled to. We helped Craig plan how to pay back the bills in the long-term, but for the time being we helped get the creditors to accept token £1 monthly payments. It might not have been much, but it showed them that Craig was serious about doing this the right way.

Once all his benefits were sorted, the Money Advice Officer helped Craig set up a Debt Arrangement Scheme: a clear, realistic plan to pay off all the money he owed. It’s been four years now, and Craig hasn’t missed a payment.

The relief Craig felt when he first walked into the Citizens Advice Bureau was huge, and we’ve kept that positive feeling going all this time. His debt is much easier to keep track off, the money payment is manageable, and he knows that if he needs any more help, we’re just at the other end of the phone.