Today Howard Hayes and I had lunch with Michelle and Sue from the Family Counselling Centre of Brant.
As readers of the Bankruptcy Brantford Blog know, the Family Counselling Centre of Brant is the only not-for-profit credit counselling agency that personally meets with clients in Brantford, and I highly recommend their services.
Since we last met for lunch in September, Sue and Michelle tell me that they are seeing more clients than ever. With the recession in full swing, and with debt levels at record high levels, and increasing number of Brantford residents are finding themselves in financial trouble.
Their approach is the same as my approach when meeting with someone for the first time: we review your assets, who you owe money to, and what you earn and spend each month. Based on that we recommend solutions.
Brant Family Counselling specializes in working out Debt Management Plans, where they negotiate a plan to repay all of your debts, in full, over a two to five year period, at often a reduced or zero rate of interest. In the past these plans were only used for unsecured debts, like credit cards and bank loans. Sue tells me that now they have even had some success negotiating extended payment arrangements on car loans.
So, if you are having debt problems, and you don’t want to talk to a bankruptcy trustee, give Brant Family Counselling a call in Brantford at 519-753-4173, and they will be happy to walk you through your options.
