Money to buy children Christmas presents

Experience with supporting whānau helps debt navigator, Alisja Skelling relate to the people she works with at Debtfix in many ways.

Before becoming a debt navigator, Alisja tutored parents with the Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY), a home-based early education programme for Kiwi families. She knew a thing or two about money as well, having worked in a payroll job and managing figures before she had children.

Always looking for learning opportunities, Alisja completed a Certificate in Money Management that was facilitated by Debtfix co-founder, Christine Liggins.

“The course is about everything to do with money – budgeting, banking, savings, mortgages, stocks and more,” says Alisja. “Christine explained about Debtfix and what they were doing, and that led me to becoming one of the first crew members to come on board in October 2018.

“I like it when I help someone with their original budget and it’s in deficit and you think – how can they do it?Then we review it and we can tell a client we have increased their budget for food, allowed for some gift money, clothing and shoes.

“They may think they can’t afford car insurance, but we put that in there because they need it – even if it’s only third-party insurance.”

Alisja helped a mum who told her that once a debt repayment order (DRO) was arranged, she could buy her children Christmas presents – for the first time ever.

The mum worked full-time and had fallen behind on a couple of things, which pushed her to take out a high interest payday loan and then she took out another loan to pay for that. It was a cycle she could not get out of.

“I think people are scared to talk to creditors and sometimes creditors don’t see the person behind the debt – maybe just treat them like an account number,” Alisja says. “We understand the creditors’ perspective and we understand they need their money. Sometimes unexpected things happen, and people just need time or the interest frozen and penalties stopped.”

Alisja now works full-time with Debtfix but has moved from direct contact with clients to managing the legal documentation for debt solutions, such as creditors proposals and debt repayment orders, liaising with solicitors and the official assignee’s office.

Attention to detail is essential.

“Clients tell us we’ve changed their lives – we give them hope for the future and they have food in their bellies, clothing and money for presents. Eventually they can put some money away into a savings account.”

Debtfix Navigator Alisja