Edinburgh mum 'wakes with panic attacks' in middle of the night due to debt fears
| Author | Jacob Farr |
| Published date | 17 June 2022 |
| Publication title | EdinburghLive (Scotland) |
She says that there is now a three-month waiting list for those seeking advice and that mothers are waking up in the middle of the night due to "panic attacks" connected with their debts.
Melanie adds that a number of elderly people in the West of Edinburgh are falling through the cracks due to digital illiteracy and are not being helped by central authorities with clearing debt.
Alongside this, she says that single mums are often coming and expressing their concern about deciding between eating and heating.
On the problems that her clients at CAP are facing, she said: "There is a lot of shame for people that find themselves in debt and this is similar to those that use food banks - everyone has pride.
"But what I try to hammer home with my clients is that they should feel comfortable coming to us as we use a holistic approach that allows them to keep their dignity whilst accessing help.
"We live in this wonderful country that has traditionally had a social security system that people could rely on to an extent which is amazing.
"But now what I would say is there is no security in the social sector. At the moment those relying on benefits cannot afford to live off the amount they are given.
"And a number of those using our debt management services now are in work but are having their income topped up by benefits - in my opinion people are always better off in work but this shows that some people are not being paid enough by their employers to survive.
"I was heartbroken to hear from one of my clients who messaged me to say that she did not know what to do with her financial position.
"She is a single mum on benefits that is studying for a degree to better her situation and was worried about whether to heat her home or if she had to skip meals to feed her daughter.
"She continued to say that even if a genie came out and got rid of her debt today, she would still not have enough money to survive.
"I had tears in my eyes as all I could tell her is that it will get warmer over summer but what happens when energy goes up again in October?
"People do not want to watch the news at the moment. They are already at breaking point and all the news is saying is that food, energy and fuel is all going up with little help arriving.
"I had a mother message me on another occasion saying...
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