Donovan's Story

 
Donovan is a single parent, to a young child. When we met him, he had just started a new job after a period of unemployment. He was already the subject of a suspended possession order due to rent arrears. Donovan was waiting for his first wage packet and, as a result, had missed a payment due under the previous court order. As his benefit payments had stopped, a gap in income meant he needed a little extra time to get the money. He had every intention of paying. His landlord had obtained an eviction warrant, which would make Donovan and his child homeless in a matter of days.

We helped Donovan to complete a form to apply to suspend the warrant. This enabled him to offer to pay a lump sum off the arrears as soon as he was paid, and then regular monthly payments on top of his rent thereafter. Donovan was able to show the Judge that he was working hard to resolve the situation and that it wouldn’t be long until his new job enabled him to pay reliably.

Donovan returned to our service the following week to tell us that his landlord had accepted his proposal and the eviction had been cancelled, thus enabling him and his child to stay in their home. His furrowed brow of concern had transformed into a beaming smile of hope, and he thanked us for our help