As told by Rebekah Smylie, Head of Debt Operations CAP Canada
As we sit here today, in the middle of lockdown number three here in Ontario, it’s easy to be swept away in challenges of our circumstances and the frustrations that this past year has brought. For many of our clients, this has meant changes to their incomes, their support networks, and challenges to their mental health as they navigate yet another lock down season. As I speak with clients, I continue to see their circumstances becoming increasingly complex and our Debt Operations Team are needing to be increasingly creative as we journey alongside them to find a route out of debt.
In the midst of this challenge, I find myself more grateful than ever that we can assure our clients that they’re not in this alone. They receive support and care from the moment of their initial phone call in to us. Their Debt Coach, along with their local church, serve and support through every season, living out their mission to love as Christ did, and that is life giving.
This spring, we ran two CAP Money Courses specifically tailored to our debt centre clients, equipping them with the tools needed to build successful money management skills as they journey along with us. We saw incredible sharing of ideas and experiences as clients participated in the course and I watched in awe as our clients shared incredible examples of their tenacity, strength and creativity.
This year we have already seen ten of our much deserving clients/families go debt free. We have seen Landlords agree to re-payment arrangements, utility providers agree to halt disconnection while we work out a plan, and have been able to provide much needed emergency assistance to individuals and families when unexpected hurdles have arisen.
In these most uncertain times we have seen our steadfast God provide time and time again. I am now, and forever, grateful that he has allowed me to play a small role in his work.
Thank you for being a part of this too, thank you for being Christians Against Poverty.
Blessings,
Bekah