Paul Rankin, Team Leader - Anglicare

 

Paul spoke to us about his role as leader of the financial counselling team at Anglicare, he has been in this job for three years having previously worked as an Accountant and in Youth Work. The role of financial counselling is to assist people with financial difficulties(debts) deal with these problems and provide advocacy to institutions, such as banks to provide relief. Last year they supported over 750 clients, and as Paul said, everyone is different.  Paul then described some ‘vulnerabilities’ that can lead to money problems, during COVID times family violence was prevalent and the women victims often had to flee the situation with very few resources. Family breakdowns also can trigger financial problems as can illness, and often these occur together. The first stage is an assessment which usually take about an hour and provides the counsellor with an understanding of the nature and scope of the problems. The service is free and there is often a waiting list, but the initially assessment is always timely and can provide some immediate advice/ relief for clients. He said that in the past few years banks have become more compassionate and understanding, as have energy companies. It is essential the issue is communicated to these organisations, often people in difficulty become isolated and do not answer the phone, emails etc.    Paul shared a couple of case studies, a man who back in 2013 was doing well, married with a double income, but the marriage broke up and shortly after he was made redundant.  Within five years he has used up all his savings and resources and had significant credit card debt, he was assisted to find cheaper accommodation and a plan to pay back his debt. In another case a woman had a car accident in which she received an acquired brain injury, although she received some compensation for this; she had used it all up and was struggling to pay her mortgage, after advocacy with the bank her mortgage was reduce from $300K to $100K. Paul said the important thing was to work with the client and find a solution that is the best fit for them. He also commented that during COVID the increase in the Job Seeker allowance meant that they saw few of these clients as they know had enough money and were above the poverty line. An informative talk about an important topic.