Lisa has over seven years of experience in the construction industry, primarily focused on health and safety.  

Lisa had been enduring an emotionally abusive relationship for a few years before the relationship came to an end recently. She heard about us after meeting our #MakeItVisible team on a site visit one day. At the time of seeking help, Lisa was on maternity leave, and although the relationship had ended, her ex-partner was still coming to the family home which was making her feel vulnerable. To resolve this started arranging for them to meet in public places which he wasn’t happy about and he then pursued joint custody of their child.  

Despite receiving Universal Credit to cover her mortgage, Lisa resorted to food banks as she struggled to manage her finances.   Unfortunately, she did not qualify for housing benefit as she owned her property which she was in the process of selling. This would help clear her debts, but this process was expected to take six to eight weeks. With her statutory maternity pay soon coming to an end, Lisa was grappling with arrears on her energy bills and had accumulated significant credit card debt, which was growing each month.  

She was able to access legal aid to support her throughout the custody process but this was another area that was adding emotional and financial pressure, impacting further on her wellbeing.  

We offered vital support including food-shops between pay days and supported her with a repayment plan with EON to manage her monthly energy costs. We also referred her to counselling to address her emotional wellbeing issues and signposted here to a free legal consultation.  

Our support had an immediate impact on Lisa’s life. The counselling sessions helped her address past trauma and domestic abuse. She also saw a significant reduction of £500 in her overall debt burden, making her financial situation much more manageable. Lisa is now in a position where she can sustain herself in the future and her counselling has given her coping mechanisms and tools to help manage her past traumas.