Case studies

Direct Debt Line: Support us

DDL is a registered charity providing free advice to people in debt

As a charitable and non-profit making organisation our sole purpose is to help people resolve their debt problems. We do not ask our clients for any payment whatsoever and we are members of the Institute of Money Advisers. You can find out more about the charity by reading our annual review. Here are some examples of how DDL can help :

Mrs M was left by her husband with four teenage children and arrears on her housing association rent, council tax, gas, electricity and two water companies. To make matters worse there was an overpayment of benefit to repay, and money was owed to a door-step loan company and various catalogues. Without any support from her absent husband, Mrs M was living on Income Support.

Direct Debt Line was able to arrange for full payment to three of the utility debts by making an application to a charitable trust fund. We arranged payments to the remaining water company through a special arrears reduction scheme and negotiated regular payments towards the rent arrears which helped avoid eviction (costly to both Mrs M and the housing association). Similar arrangements were made with the local authority over the Council Tax arrears and overpayment of benefit and a visit from the bailiffs was prevented.

Token repayments of £1 per month were arranged with all other non-priority creditors. Now Mrs M no longer feels under threat. DDL's intervention and support has enabled her to manage her finances, planning and budgeting for the future even though she has a very low income.

You can read more case studies in our latest annual review.