Giving more to help people out of debt
Being part of the Debtfix crew has been a real eye-opener for Sharon Graves and she is constantly in awe of how people cope, make do with so little and stretch their money to survive.
Sharon launched her Debtfix Navigator career in October 2019, when the organisation moved to new offices in Warkworth.
“It was a huge learning curve and I was nervous working with people’s lives – making sure we were getting everything right,” says Sharon. “Somebody may be in a crisis and you’re helping them find a way out of it, which is a huge responsibility.”
Support from all Debtfix Navigators and on-going learning gives Sharon the confidence to get the details right when guiding people out of debt. The crew supports one another, and their different styles are complementary when matching a client with a Navigator.
Sharon reviews a client’s budget and asks several questions to get a complete understanding of their financial situation. She also reviews contracts her clients have entered to ensure they are fair, reasonable and legal.
“Often people mistakenly think a loan is secured against an item, when it isn’t, such as a car that they are worried could be repossessed to pay off the debt owed. It can also go the other way and a contract may be secured against an unreasonable number of items, such as household goods. All of this puts pressure on people and it can be quite heavy stuff sometimes but not always – to be fair to lenders.”
A former inquirer referred Sharon to a person who was trapped in an impossible high-interest loan they could never pay off because their repayments were lower than the growing debt. Throughout many years the person paid a small amount each week and the debt had grown by 350 per cent. Initially, the lender would not budge but determined negotiation by Debtfix resulted in the unreasonable debt being written off.
“I can hear the relief in people’s voices when I can help them. Even just being someone they can share their problem with and reassuring them that something can be done about their situation.”
When clients come to Debtfix the person’s family situation is relevant, especially if they have recently experienced a relationship breakup or if they have children, and their ages. Employment changes have always been important and even more so now, following Covid-19.
Sharon has helped people who have never been on a benefit or even had to consider applying for it, and suddenly they must look at life very differently. People living on the breadline have nowhere to go when things get worse and some people with their own businesses are unable to make ends meet with the impact of Covid-19.
Now, Sharon gets frustrated when she sees advertising for easy loans because she knows the pay-back isn’t worth it and so many New Zealanders don’t understand what they are getting into.
“The ads for loans sound idyllic – the answer to all of my problems – and it’s scary.”
Sharon would like more financial literacy taught in school, so people can make more informed decisions about their money and borrowing.
Recently, Sharon moved near to Palmerston North where she works for Debtfix from her home office and continues to resolve debt for people throughout New Zealand. She frequently returns to Debtfix’s Warkworth office for training and when Sharon does have a moment to spare, she loves walking her dog and sharing time with her husband.
Sharon enjoys being around people and is looking forward to finding her way in a new community.
Debtfix Navigator - Fiona Harrison
“Big shout out to Christine Liggins and her wonderful team for a fantastic job on helping others like myself to able live in comfort with less stress and once again, manage our budget better. I would like to thank Sharon Graves especially for her time and effort - helping me get back my feet again. Without her help I don’t think I would have survived with no income. Thank you Sharon much appreciated.”