Floored by Debt

THEY are architects, engineers, shop owners, taxi drivers, public sector workers, sales assistants, office workers, self-employed tradesmen and small business owners. They cover the gamut of society and they’re all struggling with arrears on mortgages, rent, ESB bills, gas bills, personal and credit union loans.

Many of the self-employed are finding themselves at the mercy of the banks as they gave a personal guarantee on a business loan, never once suspecting in boomtime that the economy would shortly implode.

Some of the people that walk through the door of the MABS office are only managing three meals a day because of support from St Vincent de Paul, while in many other cases, granny and grandad are footing the weekly grocery bill.