Show Us Your Bills

 

Do you have clients or members who are struggling with debt and are anxious about how to pay for their next meal, utility bill or school excursion?  Perhaps you have clients or members who are frightened to open their bills and are receiving calls from creditors or debt collectors and aren’t sure about their options?  Are any of your clients at risk of homelessness or currently living with friends or family or living in a refuge?

 

Care Financial Counselling Service and the Consumer Law Centre of the ACT along with the Supportive Tenancy Service and Street Law are holding a SHOW US YOUR BILLS afternoon at Belconnen Library on 19 October 2012 from 12.30pm – 3.30pm (this event is in conjunction with Anti-Poverty Week 2012). 

 

For most people, confronting debt or overdue bills takes courage and whilst none the services holding this event provide money to pay bills we can provide options, information and support surrounding debt and the solicitors on the day can outline legal implications surrounding those debts.

 

This is a FREE drop in event (no appointments necessary) and on the day tables will be set up at the Belconnen Library’s community room so that people can hold private one-on-one conversations with qualified financial counsellors from Care Inc. and solicitors from the Consumer Law Centre and Street Law.  Staff will also be available from Supportive Tenancy Service, which assists people whose tenancies are at risk (both public, private or mortgagees). 

 

The aim of this event is to encourage people who are struggling with debt and are perhaps ignoring phone calls from creditors or leaving bills unopened to come along on the day and show us their bills (our financial counsellors can even sit with people on the day and help them open bills-which is often a very scary thing for someone who is experiencing debt stress). 

 

Please note, any information that clients provide will be treated with confidence and will not be discussed with anyone including their creditors and we encourage service providers to bring their clients along who are anxious about taking the first step in dealing with their debts. 

 

If you would like to know more about this event, please email vicki.wood@carefcs.org or phone Care Financial Counselling Service on  6257 1788.  I have also attached a poster on this event and would really appreciate it if you could place this on your noticeboard or email it to those who may be interested in participating.