MONEY worries are affecting people from all walks of life as a result of the cost of living crisis - but there is help available, no matter how dire the situation may seem.

Although the current economic outlook is bleak, with food prices, energy bills and inflation soaring, there are solutions for anyone who is struggling financially.

That is the message from the charity, StepChange, which has almost 30 years of experience helping people with debt and money worries.

They have a 68 strong team based in Glasgow supporting people all over Scotland who have financial concerns.

As they are based in Scotland’s biggest city, they are also supporting this year’s Glasgow Times Bank on Us Appeal which is aimed at saving Christmas for families across the city. It is calling on Glaswegians to donate toys to youngsters throughout the city and take pressure off hard working mums, dads and guardians who are facing an uncertain festive period due to the continuing crisis. The aim is for every child in Glasgow to open a present on December 25.

As well as collecting toys from staff for the appeal, StepChange are hoping that joining the campaign will help promote their message that no-one with money troubles needs to suffer alone.

“Debt makes us uncomfortable but there is no reason to feel guilty and we are here to help,” said Sharon Bell, of StepChange.  “If you are not well you go to the doctor and if you have money worries you have to get help too.

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“Our main message is that people are not alone and there is support out there. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to go but organisations like ours are available to help direct people in this storm which is the cost of living crisis. We are here to help them work their way through it in whatever way we can.”

The charity is already helping around 40,000 people across Scotland but is predicting more demand as winter kicks in.

“The cost of living crisis has hit everyone on the back of the Covid pandemic,” said Ms Bell. “Many people have already had to spend their savings to try and make do, so their buffer has been weakened. This is impacting everybody irrespective of whether they are working or not, have family or live alone.”

The number of people the charity deals with is steadily growing and Ms Bell believes it will get much worse if interest rates go up again - meaning that many home owners will be hit by higher mortgage repayments. The charity is already being contacted by a growing number of mortgage holders and has a dedicated team to help specifically with mortgage support, whether it is giving advice on dealing with arrears, new mortgages or equity release.

Even though there is free, confidential advice available online or over the phone, the charity’s research shows that the average time people take to seek help is over a year.

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“There still is a lot of stigma associated with debt and money worries and we get a lot of clients who are very concerned about contacting us and are keeping it secret from their families,” said Ms Bell.

“That builds stress, worry and mental health issues and since the Covid pandemic the additional vulnerabilities of clients have definitely built up. Although money was talked about during Covid it is still a taboo subject.”

To help those who are embarrassed, the charity has developed its online offering so they can put in their own information to access general advice. They can also use the phone line which is open during the week from 8am until 8pm and on Saturdays from 8am until 4pm.

The charity not only supplies advice but supports their clients right the way through the solutions, whether they are statutory such as bankruptcy or non statutory such as restructuring credit card repayments.

Ms Bell has now been with the charity for ten years and has noticed the nature of debt changing in that time.

“About ten years ago it was predominantly commercial debt such as loans, credit card bills and overdrafts,” she said. “In recent years that has changed and probably a good quarter of debt that people are now struggling with is arrears in their household costs. Things like rent, mortgage, utility bills and council tax  - that has always been one of our biggest debts but utility costs are  now a growing problem and will continue to grow as we go into the winter months.

“I hate to say that we go from one crisis to another but it does sometimes feel like that as we have gone from the credit crash, to austerity, the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis.

“There is always something and through all of this my message is that you should never feel alone or struggle alone. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner we can give you options.

“Try to build the courage to pick up the phone or go online so you can take it to the next step and get the help you need.”