Ariana’s phone was damaged when she was applying for an interest-free loan from Good Shepherd. A small grant paid for repairs so she could move on with her application and stay in touch with family.
Ariana(*) applied for a Good Loan to help cover some essential new items. Like most of Good Shepherd’s clients, Ariana was using our phone-based service.
As well as having valuable financial coaching conversations, Ariana was using her mobile to work through the loan application process – uploading documents, receiving emails, accessing her bank statements, and gathering other information needed.
When Ariana’s phone broke, she couldn’t continue with her coaching or the application for her much-needed loan. She also needed her phone to manage everyday life. She felt increasingly stressed and isolated.
The Good Shepherd team arranged a grant to cover the cost of repairing the phone. Ariana was able to have repairs completed quickly and get back to her coaching and application. She was relieved to have a working phone to help meet life’s demands and stay connected with friends and whānau.
*name has been changed
Pam’s best friend settles into a new town
Pam was frightened that not being able to afford her dog’s registration could see her canine companion taken away. A grant helped her register her dog and maintain her wellbeing.
Pam’s* housing is managed by Kāinga Ora. She had to move from one house to another during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has recently been moved again – this time to a new region.
A past brain injury means Pam has issues with anxiety, which affect her more during times of change. Moving twice in the past few years has been hard, and Pam is grateful for the emotional support and companionship offered by her dog, who she describes as her ‘rock’.
Pam reached out to Good Shepherd for a loan to cover the cost of registering her dog. Dog registration fees were higher in her new town. Pam couldn’t afford to pay the $110 registration and was worried about late payment fees which could take the total to $300. More than anything, she was afraid her dog might be taken away.
A Good Loan wasn’t an option for Pam because the amount she needed is less than the smallest loan offered. The team member supporting Pam explored options and was able to help her apply for a grant from the fund built up by people who support Good Shepherd through donations.
The grant was approved and Pam was ecstatic, noting the huge difference this small gesture will make in her life. With this relief, she now has the mental space to work through other matters impacting her financial situation.
*name has been changed
Supporting Jen to manage debt and start fresh
With a small grant and some help to reduce debt, Jen and her teenage daughter were able to move away from an abusive relationship and look ahead to better days.
When Jen* was diagnosed with a serious and life-changing tumour, the dynamic of her relationship with her partner shifted. He took control of their finances including the support payment she received due to being unable to work. He would not allow Jen to access any money.
His psychological abuse worsened over time. He wouldn’t let Jen buy anything or drive their car. Jen was forbidden from seeing her friends. With no access to money, Jen got a credit card and kept a bank account hidden from her partner.
More than ten years passed before Jen was able to leave the relationship. She moved into a one-bedroom flat with her teenage daughter, and was determined to help them both live safely. Jen contacted Good Shepherd to enquire about a loan, but repayments would not be affordable on top of everyday expenses and paying back debt. Good Shepherd’s family violence economic harm support service was able to assist Jen by negotiating with her bank to wipe $7,500 of debt built up during her relationship.
In their new flat, Jen and her daughter were sharing a bed. They were relieved to have a stable home but it was hard for the two of them to find space. Jen had recently had a surgery which made sleeping in the same bed more challenging. Good Shepherd sought help for Jen from a service that provides furniture for people setting themselves up after leaving abusive relationships. It was hoped they could provide a fold-out couch, but they weren’t able to help this time. The team member supporting Jen applied for a Good Shepherd grant to cover the cost of some furniture.
With a $300 grant, Jen brought a second-hand kettle, reclining chair and fold-out couch. She and her daughter set up a flexible bedroom space in the lounge. Jen noted the flat now feels much more like a home. In an email, she says:
“Moving into a new home can be overwhelming, but your help made it feel possible.”
“It may seem like a small thing, but to us, it’s huge. Your kindness and generosity have brought us both comfort and a fresh start, and we’re so grateful.”
*name has been changed for safety
Catrin gets some power back
Being unable to afford a replacement battery for her motorised wheelchair made it harder for Catrin to get around. A grant helped her reduce stress and get where she needs to go.
Catrin(*) is in her 30s and lives on her own in a one-bedroom unit, which is small but meets her needs as someone who uses a wheelchair. Before moving into the unit, she was in emergency housing for safety from family disputes. Rent for the unit is more than Catrin can comfortably afford but it is her only option – it’s hard to find accommodation that meets her accessibility needs.
Catrin’s financial situation is difficult. She receives a disability allowance from WINZ, and any costs outside of food and rent are hard to manage. When she needed to pay for essential equipment, WINZ referred Catrin to Good Shepherd to be assessed for a no-interest loan.
The battery of Catrin’s motorised wheelchair had given up. Trips she could usually manage on her own needed to be replaced by expensive taxis. She was also relying on friends and family for transport to her volunteer work. An affordability assessment showed Catrin wouldn’t be able to keep up with loan repayments. The Good Shepherd team helped Catrin apply for a relief grant to cover the cost of a new battery for her chair.
With her motor chair back in working order, Catrin can connect with her community, attend appointments and continue her volunteer and street appeal work. The grant also paid for a microwave and some storage containers to help Catrin live in her one-room unit with more comfort and independence.
*name has been changed
Abbie plans for a debt-free life after economic harm
Facing my finances and past head-on wasn’t easy — but with practical and empathetic support, it freed up my life again.
Today I’m lighter, more confident and planning for the future. I’m proud to be rebuilding a secure and happy life for me and my son.
This is Abbie’s story, edited to keep her from being identified and to help you read. Quotes are Abbie’s own words. Names have been changed.
I had just come out of a string of abusive relationships, one of which left me in significant financial trouble by taking out loans in my name that he never repaid. When my car broke down, I was buried in debt with no credit and no real support to help me through.
Reaching out to Good Shepherd was one of the best financial decisions I ever made. When I first got in contact, I was hoping to get a loan for a car — but I ended up getting so much more.
Once Good Shepherd’s loan team heard more about my experience, they put me in touch with Charlotte in their economic harm team. Her support was beyond anything I could have imagined. Charlotte reached out to all my creditors and negotiated with them, managing to erase nearly $12,000 worth of debt.
The process did bring some challenges. It was long-winded, with a lot of paperwork and financial details to sort through. At times, I wasn’t sure if I’d be approved for the loan because of all the debt I was carrying. The process also forced me to face my finances — and the aftermath of those abusive relationships — head-on and confront things I had been avoiding.
“I had been hiding from it with my head in the sand, which is what you do when you are completely overwhelmed. It was a very hard time — but when the loan came through, the relief that I felt. Everything was worth all the work.”
I’ve always found it hard to ask for help, especially after everything I’d been through. But Charlotte was incredibly understanding. She had been through a similar experience, which made things easier. She was always there for me, checking in with updates as she worked hard behind the scenes to clear all those debts. It’s hard to explain how important it felt to have someone who genuinely cared about my situation. Charlotte didn’t judge me but instead helped me turn things around.
“Who was this amazing person who came into my life at the right time?…I felt completely blessed.”
There were some immediate changes in my life after working with Charlotte and Good Shepherd. It was such a relief to clear most of those debts and to have a good working car again. It was also an important starting point for a life that felt like my own again.
“I said to [Charlotte] that she came into my life and helped me remove those awful exes in my life bit by bit. I feel freer. I feel more ordered. And that’s a good and secure place to be in.”
I haven’t missed a payment with Good Shepherd yet, and I’ve been able to increase my payments too. My finances are much more in order. I no longer feel burdened by the debts that once seemed impossible. I know exactly what I owe and what’s coming out each month. I finally have the ability and confidence to save and make decisions I couldn’t have made before.
My son has a birthday coming up. I’m able to afford a little birthday party. That’s a huge shift for us, both financially and emotionally. It feels so good to be able to contribute to school fundraisers and events — things that may seem small to some, but make a huge difference to me.
“[My son] had photographs taken…that were beautiful. I was able to buy four of them. These sorts of things make an impact on you and him and your parenting, and make your child feel valid too.”
I even just bought a self-propelled lawn mower, something I have managed to save up for. It wasn’t a huge expense but the ability to make that purchase was something that felt out of reach before.
I’m feeling so much more stable these days. Money is still tight, but I have enough to live — and I get to enjoy precious time with my son while he’s still young. I don’t spend on things I don’t need. I’m proud of that. But I can afford to take myself out to dinner every now and then without too much stress. I can just enjoy the moment.
Looking ahead, I hope to be completely debt-free in five years. I want to have a steady income and a routine that supports my family. I’m also thinking about going back to study, possibly in healthcare, which feels like the right path for me based on my own experiences with injuries. I want to help others the way I’ve been helped. In the meantime, I am thankful for where I am now. Good Shepherd’s support has made such a big difference in my life.
“I’m very grateful…It was just at such a turning point in my life. No actually, this whole thing was the turning point at a really tough time.”
Lillian works through the ripple effects of financial abuse
Starting over as a single mum after an emotionally and financially abusive relationship felt despairing. It was like everything was set up to disadvantage women like me.
Good Shepherd helped me find a sense of control and my inner strength. Now I’m moving from surviving to thriving.
This is Lillian’s story, edited to keep her from being identified and to help you read. Quotes are Lillian’s own words. Names have been changed.
Before I reached out to Good Shepherd, my life felt like it was crumbling around me. I had just left a long-term abusive relationship and was starting over with my kids. It wasn’t until I was out of the relationship that I began to understand the full extent of what had happened — how my ex had controlled my ability to earn money and build a career. At the time, I thought it was normal or even my fault.
“I tried to do research about what happens to women after they leave an abusive relationship where there is financial abuse. It was so sad. Men get richer and women get poorer. I knew it’s systemic and not me, but it was hard to not say I should be better and I should have not gotten myself into this.”
Suddenly I was a solo mum with no income and a mountain of trauma to work through — both mine and my children’s. The house we lived in, which I co-owned with my ex, started falling apart. The shower leaked, the dishwasher and washing machine broke down and the car battery died. I couldn’t afford to fix anything. The stress took its toll on all of us.
As I struggled to keep things afloat, I was also fighting against systems that seemed designed to punish rather than support single mothers. The stigma was overwhelming — people would wonder why I wasn’t coping better or why I hadn’t “bounced back” after leaving the relationship.
“It felt like nobody understood what it was like to be a single mum in an abusive relationship. I didn’t even understand what it was like to be there…the experience of it was really, really hard to explain, even to myself.”
I’ll never forget the relief I felt after that first call with Good Shepherd. Apart from the Women’s Refuge, they were the first people who listened. They didn’t judge. They didn’t ask how I had ended up in my situation or why I couldn’t just fix it myself. Instead, they asked, ‘How can we help you?’
Good Shepherd helped me in so many practical ways. They provided an interest-free loan to cover the most urgent repairs. They also helped me structure my finances to make things more manageable. For example, my benefits were paid weekly, but my mortgage came out monthly, which created constant stress. Lynda, the person I worked with at Good Shepherd, suggested I switch to weekly mortgage payments. It was such a simple change, but it made a big difference.
She also helped me understand my spending without making me feel bad. When I was too depressed to cook, I’d buy takeaways, which some people might criticise. Lynda just got it. She said things like, ‘If there is one way you can take a bit of pressure off yourself’. That empathy meant the world to me.
After working with Good Shepherd, I finally felt a sense of control over my finances. Things were still tight, but the chaos eased. I could start making progress. Fixing the car, for example, wasn’t just about the car — it was a symbol for what I was capable of.
“If you can fix just one thing or multiple things, you get that sense of, ‘I can do this, and then I can do the next thing.’ To be able to fix something, it changes your thinking about your whole situation. It’s not so despairing anymore.”
Today, my life looks very different. After years of legal battles, I finally secured the house in the separation. I’ve been working to repair and improve it.
I also found a job that I love. It’s the sort of work that is meditative and healing for me and feels true to who I am — it’s helping me reclaim parts of myself that were lost in the relationship. It doesn’t pay much though, and sometimes I struggle with this tension.
“When I was thinking about work, there were two conflicting values. I really, really needed money. Money was so key to rebuilding my life…I could see if I stayed on the benefit I just wouldn’t progress. I would never really be or feel independent. On the other hand, I really valued work that really felt like me.”
Looking ahead, I hope to move from just surviving to building a life I truly enjoy. I want to continue creating stability for my kids and myself. One day, I’d love to explore how I can help other women who are going through what I’ve been through. I wish there was more understanding of what women go through when they experience financial abuse. We need more organisations like Good Shepherd, who can help us get through when everything feels dark.
“[Good Shepherd] was like a light that came in for me who said, ‘Yes. This is really hard — but we get it, and you can do it’. It gave me some footing. It gave me hope I could get out of this situation.”
Juliette’s story about dealing with debt
I’d love to find a house where the children can have their own bedrooms and go to a good school. I’m keen to finish my studies and pursue a career in nursing.
My partner’s physical and financial abuse took a real toll on me. My kids and I can’t rent a house or buy a car because of the debt he took out in my name.
This is Juliette’s story, edited to keep her safe and help you read. Quotes are Juliette’s own words. Names have been changed.
I was with Steve for ten years, and I left the relationship ten months ago.
Before we got together, I was happy and financially independent — feeling proud of what I had achieved in my work and studies after doing some level four certificates to further my career in the disability sector.
“Nothing is ever perfect, but life was pretty good. I had my own finances. I had been working since I was 15.”
Steve and I started seeing each other and things were going ok. We had been together for just a month when I became pregnant. This felt like it sped things up and we hadn’t gotten to know each other very well yet. Our relationship was fine until I was eight months’ pregnant and on maternity leave, when he hit me for the first time.
I was the main income earner and only stopped working to go on a benefit for a short time after having each of my two children. His mental health was not good, so he chose not to work and stay at home with the kids instead. He would guilt trip me about having to be a stay-at-home dad, and insisted I buy him gifts and let him spend whatever money he wanted on himself. His physical violence continued through the course of our relationship.
He paid close attention to my earning and spending and made me ask permission before I bought anything. I was earning a good wage so couldn’t understand why there was often less in the bank account than I expected. We relied on food parcels and used layby and Afterpay to buy clothes for the children.
He bought a car on hire purchase without me knowing. He put the car in my name and never made payments on it. He also used my bank card to buy what he wanted without my knowledge. Money kept leaving the bank account and I wasn’t sure where it was going, or why there was nothing to show for it. I discovered that he had a drug addiction. He was spending money on meth instead of food and other things we needed as a family. I started to hide money and tell him I was earning less than I was so we could buy essentials and get through to the next pay day.
“He would rather use the money to buy drugs than to buy food for the kids. Sometimes I would just give him money because I was so drained, and I couldn’t argue with him anymore.”
I was worried and I went to Oranga Tamariki for help. I felt like they were judging me for staying in the relationship. Instead of requiring my partner to get help for his addiction, they suggested I go to a parenting course. I tried to leave him many times. He always said he would do better. I thought it would be better for the kids to live with both parents, and I didn’t have the outside support I needed to leave. Earlier this year, counselling sessions and a parenting course helped me find the strength to leave. The children and I were homeless when I left, so we’ve been living in my sister’s lounge. He crashed the first car he bought under my name and got another one using my details, which he isn’t paying for. The debt he has taken out in my name has given me a bad credit rating so I can’t rent a place or buy a car.
“His car has given me bad credit for seven years. His current car is under my name but he’s not paying the bills, so it affects my credit rating. It’s stressful and depressing but I am trying not to think about it.”
My largest debt is to the Ministry of Social Development because each time I left the relationship I had nothing, so received hardship grants to get furniture for my children. The debt built up to thousands and I am paying it back $25 a week. I’m still paying off the debts I accumulated through the relationship, but I feel a bit better about managing them now. I feel ashamed about how long I stayed with Steve, but I’m also proud of how far I have come. The kids are seven and nine now. I really hope our future will be debt-free and financially stable.
“[I hope to] have a better career, kids settled at a good school — simple things like that. I’m doing better now. I’m striving for the best.”
I’m studying to be a counsellor because I want to help people. I’m trying to understand what has happened to me. I want to make a good life for my son and I.
I brought $100,000 of savings into my marriage. Economic abuse made me dependent and vulnerable, and my ex used the legal system to drive me into debt.
This is Nell’s story, edited to keep her safe and help you read. Quotes are Nell’s own words. Names have been changed.
I moved to New Zealand 10 years ago. I studied, got my residency visa and gained full time employment. I was enjoying life — making good friends, earning good money, and saving as much as I could for a deposit on a house.
I met Byron at one of the hobby clubs I was part of. He was charismatic and charming. He felt like someone I had been looking for my whole life. I had some painful abusive relationships in the past and I was thrilled to think I was leaving that behind.
“I had dreamt about meeting someone like him. And finally, I did.”
Things moved quickly. Within weeks he wanted to move in together. Within months he said we should get married, open joint bank and credit accounts, have children and buy property. I was surprised by the whirlwind of this time but I went with it because he seemed like the perfect man. It’s rare to meet a man who actually wants to have children. I became pregnant quickly and he pushed for us to buy a family home.
My friends were alarmed at how fast we were moving and so was my financial advisor. They advised against buying a house together and said I should get a prenuptial contract since I was bringing $100,000 in savings to the marriage, and he was bringing debts. Byron was furious when I suggested this.
“He made me out to be a very bad person for asking [for a prenuptial agreement]. He said, ‘there is no way I would ever leave the mother of my child in need’.”
I was afraid he would leave me, so I let it go and agreed to joint bank accounts and credits cards. I agreed we could use my savings as a deposit for a house.
We bought the house, used the rest of my savings to renovate, and our son was born. Not long after this our relationship started to fall apart. It was like a mask dropped for him. He was verbally and psychologically abusive and he made a lot of threats.
“It feels like he’s a spider and the more web he had around me — in terms of the joint property, the child — the more dependent and the more vulnerable I was. The more he suffocated me.”
He threatened to take our son away from me and take the house away. The house was important to me because it represented my life’s dreams and my savings. He was cheating on me, claiming to be a sex addict, and begged me to stay and help him rehabilitate.
As things in our relationship got worse, I was horrified to learn that New Zealand law meant he could take half of the house even though we used my savings to buy it and I paid the mortgage. I was even more shocked when I found out I would be forced to take on half of my husband’s debt if we got divorced. That’s when I realised I was going to lose half of the money I had worked so hard to save. I had no family and no information about the legal system.
“All his actions were strategic moves. A sort of game for him. He knew the process, he knew the laws and I didn’t.”
He tricked me into moving out of the house by saying his lawyer recommended showing and selling the house with no one in it. When my son and I were out, his girlfriend moved in and he refused to talk with lawyers or real estate agents about selling. He and his girlfriend wouldn’t pay the mortgage, rates or bills, and the bank started calling me to ask for payments. I was now caring for my son full time as a single parent and felt forced to sign for a mortgage holiday, which meant debt was accumulating and would come out of house sale proceedings.
“Once we were finally free of him, he started to use the legal system to abuse me.”
I managed to hire a lawyer with a small amount of money I had hidden from him. A judge ordered the sale of the house and by this point I had lost more than half of my investment and taken on tens of thousands of dollars in my husband’s debt. He was enraged about the sale of the home.
He quit his job and started work that paid under the table so he could hide his income and avoid paying child support. He claimed he could only find work in expensive areas of town, and demanded the courts order me and our son to move to these areas where rent was more than I could afford. When I complied and moved, he would quit his job and move again, and return to court to insist I move too. This crippled me financially and I couldn’t understand why he was able to dictate where we lived.
He started typing up false things about me and filing them in court, saying I wasn’t a fit mother. It didn’t cost him to make false allegations, but I had to put together massive affidavits and evidence, paying for a lawyer and taking up lots of my time. He is still using the court to financially abuse me, and unless laws change, he could keep doing this until our son is an adult.
“Just knowing that there are people who I can reach out to … that’s so precious and this saves lives.”
I have a lot of legal debt, but I still feel hopeful. The little money I got from the house sale went towards a small home where the mortgage is less than my previous rent. I’m grateful to people who have helped me find housing, clothes and food — some of them are complete strangers. And I’m thankful to organisations like Women’s Refuge and Good Shepherd who have helped me navigate the financial system and try to repair my ruined credit.
“I’m quite confident that we will be okay because I’m quite careful with our finances . . . Our income is very low, and our expenses are quite high, but we’re managing because of all the support.”
Getting Susan back on her feet after extreme relationship violence
Susan experienced extreme relationship violence and lost her business and her home. A grant helped Susan apply for, register and serve bankruptcy documents to her ex so she can be paid the money she is owed.
Susan* experienced extreme relationship violence, which caused the loss of her business and privately owned home. Threatening behaviours continued in the form of stalking after the relationship ended. She lived in hiding out of fear for her safety, and was facing ongoing challenges with her health as a result of violence.
When Susan enquired about a Good Loan for some legal costs, she was renting a home shared with her son who is autistic. She was receiving the sickness benefit and struggling to meet the costs of basic needs. Years of lengthy court proceedings against her ex-partner had taken a toll, which worsened when the High Court ruled in favour of Susan receiving $61,000 for unpaid child support and her ex fled the country in response.
While she was seeking financial support to progress her legal battle, Susan’s ex made complaints to the Ministry of Social Development, the legal aid service and Inland Revenue. This prevented her accessing any financial assistance from these agencies.
Good Shepherd’s family violence economic harm support service explored options for Susan including a bridging loan. But the complex nature of her situation limited the affordability and repayment of a loan. We approved a grant to cover the cost for Susan to apply for, register and serve bankruptcy documents to her ex so she can be paid the money she is owed. The unpaid child support will enable Susan to get back on her feet and hold her ex-partner accountable. She will have more options to move to affordable housing, plan for a better future, and continue improving her mental and emotional wellbeing.
Working alongside Susan, our team also discussed housing support, connected her with the Salvation Army to address basic needs, and introduced her to a financial mentor to help with challenges moving forward.
In an email, Susan says “Thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for good news. Everyone always has the best intentions but for some reason or another, they can never help! I am forever grateful and will pay it forward as soon as I can”.
“It feels like suddenly there is ground under my feet instead of being in free fall. It still hasn’t fully sunken in yet”.
* name has been changed for safety.
Rina’s story about cleaning up her credit
I want to get back to a place where I can buy good food and ingredients to cook for my family. I’d love to create resources for women who are going through the kind of challenges I’ve faced.
We had been married 16 years when he developed serious gambling and drug addictions. I can’t believe how much debt he was able to take out in my name.
This is Rina’s story, edited to keep her safe and help you read. Quotes are Rina’s own words. Names have been changed.
I’m an IT professional and am now a single parent of my two teenage boys. I met my ex-husband Mal when I was very young, and we got married when I was 20.
He had always managed our finances. The mortgage, car loans and bank accounts were in both of our names, but he handled the accounting. I didn’t have much visibility of the family finances. I thought we were financially stable.
“We had an amazing marriage for almost twenty years. We had a 1.5 million dollar property. We had a Range Rover. But then something changed.”
About 16 years into our marriage I noticed some changes in his behaviour that worried me. He started disappearing a lot and he lied about where he was. He was often short tempered. He started obsessing about money.
When I started getting calls from banks and creditors looking for payments, I was shocked.
The calls from creditors continued, and I learned Mal was getting credit cards out under my name. He was applying for them online. When you’ve been together for so long your partner has access to your passport, your driver’s license, your logins.
“It’s so easy to apply for stuff online . . . He was going to screw up my credit rating. Once your rating’s gone, you’re screwed.”
I found out he had developed serious gambling and drugs addictions. He was slowly bankrupting our family to pay for these habits. He became erratic and violent. I saw gang members coming to the house. I was afraid for myself and my children. Every day for four years, he would demand that I give him money and jewellery my family had given me. He smashed up the room, pulled all my clothes out of the drawers. It looked like I had been robbed every day.
“We had no food, no money, and I didn’t know how to get out of it.”
Eventually his physical attacks got so bad that I got a protection order and he was forced to leave the family home. The court ordered the sale of the house and I was shocked to realise that the law says if a couple takes debt on — even if it’s only in his name — everything is split 50/50. So even though the house was valued at $1.5 million I walked away with $30,000.
I moved into my mum’s house. I felt like I was 16 years old, and I felt like a failure.
Good Shepherd helped me to clean up my credit and get a loan for a small home.
“I fought for this independence and if it wasn’t for Good Shepherd I wouldn’t have my own home.”
I’m now the sole supporter for my children. We were starting to get back on track but I was made redundant recently. Doing well in my work is important to me and this came as a real blow. The market is really tough at the moment, and I really don’t want to lose another house.
Looking back, I am furious my ex-husband was able to take out so much debt in my name. What he did was horrible, but I wouldn’t be in this situation if our laws and financial institutions were different. If someone does a credit check and sees lots of cards under my name, how can they keep approving loans? A lot of big banks approved credit cards in my name but they never once asked me to go in person to validate or verify or authenticate.
“I started blaming myself. I was like, ‘how dumb can I be?’. But I also feel as though all these people online approving stuff, they failed me because they should have done more to validate who was actually applying for a loan.”
It was also very frustrating that no one believed the debt wasn’t mine. When the bank would call I kept telling them I don’t know about the debt they’re mentioning and they said ‘It’s under your name. You’re responsible’. It wasn’t until I got in touch with Good Shepherd that anyone believed me.
An experience like what I’ve been through can weigh heavy on your chest. But I’m putting my energy back into my future, into my kids and into growing myself. I am letting go of anger so I can grow.
“I’m in a really, really good space and I no longer blame myself. But one thing I will say is, to women or anyone going through economic harm — go with your gut.”
