Energy Debt & Advice
Hi Everyone! My name is Kenya and I am the financial literacy worker here at KFCA. You can find me in the advice hub at the centre on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I usually see my clients by pre-made appointments, which can be made by contacting me on 07907 692173 or kenyagarner@liverpoolcommunityadvice.org.uk. Sometimes I might be free to chat if you want to pop in with a quick question or query or if you’d like to make an appointment face to face.
My typical day at KFCA starts at 10am, where I arrive at the centre and pop the kettle on to make a cup of tea and have a quick catch up with Sue, Myra and Keith to see what’s happening in the centre today. I then get settled in the advice hub office (opposite the community hall if you want to say hello!).
My 10.30am appointment is a new client who is having issues with their water company. They have been struggling paying their water due to an increase in energy bills at the moment. We complete a client profile on our case management recording system so I can keep up to date with the client and their case, which includes their name, address, income, household and health conditions. With the client present, I call the water company to investigate the clients account and how they have fallen into arrears. After gathering the information, I ask the call handler if the client is eligible for any help schemes that are available. There are many different help schemes available to individuals of all ages and circumstances. The call handler suggests that as the outstanding balance owed is quite high, it may be worth doing a Trust Fund application to get part or whole of the balance written off so the client can start afresh with a balance of £0. The client and I discuss the trust fund and I show them the application to see if they would like to progress. I give the client an income and expenditure sheet to fill in at home so it is accurate of their financial situation along with a copy of the application to make notes on anything they feel is relevant to add. I then make an appointment with the client to come back for me to produce the application and send it off to the water company.
My afternoon appointment arrives and this client is one whose case I have been working on for 2 weeks. They are currently having a payment dispute with their energy provider as they have missed a few monthly payments and cancelled their direct debit. They felt the usage and outstanding balance owed was unaffordable for them now due to a change in family circumstances at home. The client tried to resolve this for a few months before coming to the advice hub, so I have escalated the clients matter to the complaints team as nothing has been resolved. In our appointment, we call the energy provider with an income and expenditure sheet and re-set up a realistic monthly direct debit for the client to keep on top of their payments, so their account does not fall into more arrears. Towards the end of our appointment, the client is given a 1-1 appointment in managing their finances and budgeting to help save for a little treat for themself at the end of the month.
After this appointment is it usually late afternoon, and I write up my notes to keep track of what myself and my clients have discussed so I can refresh myself for our next appointment. And I answer anymore emails which have been sent to me and call back any clients whose calls I may have missed earlier on.
No two days are the same and it is really satisfying being able to help people overcome issues with their energy & water providers that they might have been struggling with for a long time.
Having debt having over you can cause a lot unnecessary worry and often makes other problems seem worse too. We don’t want anyone to struggle alone.
Please pop in, or give me a call or text and find out how we can help, it’s not too late to take the first step to managing debt.