A New Life Thanks to Financial Mentoring

Years after she received financial mentoring, Tanya returned to The Salvation Army to explain that she’d put what she learned into use and now had a new husband and a beekeeping business. ‘Back then, I found myself pregnant and in emergency housing in a new area.

The organisation that had been helping me referred me to The Salvation Army for wraparound care. I was assigned to an amazing social worker and received counselling and financial mentoring. Food parcels also made all the difference when I was pregnant and then a new mum. They gave me emotional support and I felt heard. That was big, because the relationship I was in wasn’t as it should be. Half the time my partner was on remand and I was alone with our son.

My financial advisor, was so clever. She could see things I couldn’t see at the time, and she taught me to be brave and courageous. I was struggling with my bills, but with support I was able to get a part-time job which gave me independence. I was on a joint benefit with a partner, who was spending on cigarettes and booze while I was trying to pay the rent and power with my portion. The budgeting kept me strong and opened my eyes to what was happening.

I knew I had to be straight up about my situation. The meetings were a blessing, just to be able to come and tell someone what was happening. The third time my partner came out of prison, he was still bailed to my home, but I told the officer we were no longer in a relationship. I was able to prove he wasn’t a part of the household and finally split from him.

The budgeting help had given me the confidence to advocate for myself. I started to develop a garden at home, growing my own food to be thrifty. Then I met my now husband and started a beekeeping business. When I did a harvest recently, I couldn’t wait to come in to The Salvation Army with some honey as a gift and tell my financial mentor how content I was with my life now and that her patience had paid off.’