06.05.22

 "Gosh, that must be hard, especially right now."

"I couldn't do it."

"What do you tell people?"

These are the standard responses when I explain what I do, and increasingly my own response is upturned palms, a rueful smile, and a puffing out of my cheeks.

Every week brings someone else in an impossible situation. Can't afford any repayments. Debts that grants won't touch. Insolvency not an option because they rely on the safety net of credit, due to the inadequacy of benefits, or because they're renting privately and they're scared of what a landlord will say in the future.

That's not to say we get nowhere. A write-off here, a DHP there, a PIP application with a decent chance of success every now and again. Sometimes an insolvency, or some support with budgeting that actually does put the show back on the road.

But with a few exceptions, it increasingly feels like we're deckchair-fiddling. Energy prices and inflation are becoming very, very scary indeed. Ultimately we're debt advisers, not destitution prevention specialists. But that's what people need.