these budget advisers who help low-income families avoid “catastrophe”

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A major concern of voters, purchasing power will be the first topic addressed during the debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, Wednesday April 20, four days before the second round of the presidential election. In recent months, the rise in consumer prices has reduced the income of many households, and especially that of the most modest. For the past two years, these families in difficulty have been able to be accompanied in one of the 500 Budget Advice Points (PCB). This new type of structure, created by the State and dedicated to the fight against over-indebtedness, is still little known.

At the Advice Point in Le Mans (Sarthe), Céline Mazier, the advisor, receives more and more calls: “Our calendars are still filling up very, very quickly due to budgetary difficulties.”

“The Covid had already weakened certain budgets. But to this is added a context of life where inflation has its impact.”

Céline Mazier, adviser at the PCB of Le Mans

at franceinfo

That morning, Céline Mazier receives an anxious mother, in the process of divorce. This woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains that she earns 1,400 euros per month, that she has 1,500 euros in late rent, 300 euros in unpaid electricity and 500 euros in family debts. Added to this are two credits for the oven and the washing machine. And to further darken the picture: alimony paid irregularly.

The counselor first tries to understand this mother’s budget. “In terms of CAF benefits, you are at 600 euros. Alimony is 360. Electricity currently, how much do they charge you? 159 euros…”, she lists. Expenses, receipts, debts… Everything is scrutinized, without judgement. Céline Mazier discovers that social aid has not been claimed: “You will come back with your last wages with you to study your right to the activity bonus because you are alone with dependent children. It would be a shame to miss out on a right. We will regularize that.”

On the expenditure side, it will be necessary to monthly pay the audiovisual license fee and the water bill to avoid the blow of the club, also review the sampling dates to avoid payment incidents. Céline Mazier, the advisor, is reassuring: “It’s not a disaster, we have to stop the bleeding, but it’s good because there, you react now before considering the famous declaration of over-indebtedness. So we are going to strategically put in place the debt repayments. And then afterwards, it’s also about guiding you, learning how to make precautionary savings, precisely, if the fridge breaks down, if there’s a problem with the car. I’ll accompany you, follow you, we regularize all that, it takes time. Don’t doubt yourself.” The accompaniment will last as long as necessary. It is confidential and totally free.

Inflation is not the primary cause of the financial difficulties of these households, but it weakens them a little more. Initially, there is often a loss of employment, a divorce, illness, retirement. The only certainty: the constrained expenses – rent, electricity, gas, fuel – are taking up more and more space in the budget. So the advisor tracks down the “incidental expenses”: “There are ways to scratch on mobile plans which can be 80 euros, to have one which can be in the 15 euros per month with unlimited access to the Internet, SMS, etc. Insurance too. So I take a phone, I take out anti-breakage insurance. The phone, I haven’t had it for three years now, but it’s been three years since I paid 6.10 euros per month for insurance for a phone that doesn’t exist. more.”

If these subscriptions are sometimes forgotten, the all-digital carries a share of the responsibility, believes Céline Mazier: “Bank statements, we received them before in paper version, that made it possible to point. It’s true that applications via telephones are nice, but I find that there is less vigilance. I go to my spending without necessarily taking the time to say to myself, ‘damn, I have such and such a sample which will arrive in two, three days and there, it will get stuck’.”

“We are a bit old-fashioned, sometimes, in the budget advice points. We take the budget version table, we repoint the resources, the expenses to be able to analyze an expense.”

Celine Mazier

at franceinfo

Last year, Le Mans budget advice point supported 180 families. Some arrive by word of mouth, but most are directed by partners, such as the main social landlord of the agglomeration. Julie Salmon, head of the litigation department of Le Mans Métropole Habitat, welcomes her action: “We have been able to see that they really do a thorough job. I am thinking of the case of a gentleman with satisfactory resources that would allow him to pay his rent, but who had gotten into the habit of regularly asking his employer and when the residual salary fell at the end of the month, he was no longer able to pay the rent. continues Julie Salmon. the budget advice point helped him to gradually reduce the amount of the installments. And recently, this tenant called us. He was very proud: ‘I am able to pay my rent and I even want to set up a clearance plan to settle my debt'”. In the end, the lessor recovered the rents. The tenant avoided proceedings against him and regained control of his budget.


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