"I am more at peace now."

Amara* was on maternity leave when their rent and bills increased, making it impossible to afford everything on just her husband’s salary. The family were unable to afford new clothes for their children or a fridge when their old one broke. Here, she shares her experience of Crosslight…

I was on my maternity leave and had our children to take care of. My husband was working, but his income alone wasn’t enough to take care of the family. Our rent had increased a lot and the energy bills were getting higher; it was very hard to manage the rent, bills and the day-to-day expenses like groceries. My husband then lost his job. The whole situation was giving us extreme anxiety and I was suffering with panic attacks. Thankfully. my GP referred me to social prescriber who then referred me to Crosslight Advice and I’m so happy that this happened.

Crosslight gave me practical advice on how I could talk to my creditors in order to give me some time. They also gave me the confidence to explain the situation to the creditors and helped me get better instalment plans for the repayments. My refrigerator broke down in between of all the chaos too, and Crosslight helped me with getting a new one also provided me with some groceries and clothes for the children.

I would like to specially mention that Crosslight told me everything with care and respect, and there was not a point where I felt less dignified taking help from them. The credit goes to my adviser who has been so helpful... she was always there to solve the problems and guide me. I really appreciate her dedication to what she did for me. Because of the help from Crosslight, my mental health and mental sanity has prevailed. I am more at peace now. I know my way forward and I’m thankful to the Crosslight team for being there for me always.