“It really was an eating or heating type decision.”
This July, Clean Slate, home to Quids in!, celebrates 20 years of helping people become better off. To celebrate, Readers Club is handing the pages over to the people at the heart of our work. These are real stories from peers, clients and colleagues who found hope, practical support and the confidence to regain control.
When Amaya was referred to Clean Slate, she was on Universal Credit, out of work and struggling with her mental health after negative experiences in toxic workplaces. “There were many times where I did not have any money to buy any food at all.”
Amaya was borrowing from family and friends just to get by, then paying people back as soon as her Universal Credit came in. “It was just like a vicious cycle borrowing, But when Clean Slate was in my life, it was much easier.”
Clean Slate matched Amaya with a support worker, Larissa, who worked with her over five to six weeks.
At first, Amaya found the idea of budgeting frustrating.“I was thinking “I don’t have any money to budget.” It felt accusatory, as though I was not managing my money properly.”
But going through the money health check changed something. “After consecutive sessions, I could see that it was not about blaming me. It was about understanding my situation and finding practical ways forward.”
Larissa helped her look at her money, access supermarket vouchers and find ways to reduce her bills. “The supermarket vouchers fed me and my family during those really difficult months,” Amaya told us.
She found savings she had not known were possible, a social tariff that cut her bill from around £45 to £20 a month. “That’s what really helped to shift my focus and my mindset about budgeting.”
With the immediate pressure eased, Amaya had space to think about what came next. Amaya moved from peer support into support work, and is now Clean Slate’s Virtual Support Hub Team Leader, managing a team of five. It is the longest she has ever stayed in a job, and the first time she has worked as a manager.
Her own experience shapes how she leads: with empathy, care and encouragement for her team and the people Clean Slate supports.
Now Amaya tells clients what she had to learn herself. Start small. Give yourself credit for every step, whether that is calling BT about a social tariff, filling in one form or making that first call to Clean Slate.
“A lot of the customers that I’ve had the pleasure of working with have always said, ‘I’ve never asked for help in my life. I’m the one that people come to when they need help.’”
Amaya knows it can be difficult. But she reminds people that now it’s their time to receive that help. “There’s always support out there. There is always something that can be done. And the first step is just by asking for help.”
Start with a Money Health Check
When money is tight, it can feel like there is nothing left to budget. We can help you find quick wins. Our Money Health Check can help spot quick wins, like social tariffs, cheaper bills, grants, food support or other help you may not know you can get.
Take our online Money Health Check and we’ll send your next steps straight to your mailbox.
Image: Phoenixsierra0/Pixabay
