One of the grimmest aspects of being too deep in debt is the feeling there’s nowhere to turn.

That, plus the fact that trying to pay all the bills can literally take food from your family’s table.

But with a company such as Canada Debt Assistance to turn to, the future doesn’t have to be bleak.

Typically, when clients walk in, exasperated and worried about the quagmire of debt, they’re amazed to learn they have options.

Teamwork between the client and counsellors is the key to financial recovery, according to John Rogers, left, president and CEO of parent company The Rogers Financial Group, and Cameron Don, vice-president at Canada Debt Assistance.

It’s a surprise because until now, every official they’ve dealt with has been working for the other guys.

“All of those people are looking out for the creditors’ interest,” explains Cameron Don, vice-president with Canada Debt Assistance in Calgary.

“Nobody really cares what happens to the debtors.

“The unique thing about us is we’re licensed by the Alberta government to work on the debtor’s behalf. Everywhere else that you go, bankruptcy trustees, collection agencies, lawyers, they all work for the creditors.”

Clients soon learn they can put some control back in their lives and get back to a normal existence.

“I’ve had a lot of people who have been to see two or three bankruptcy trustees, then come to see us and all of the options that I present to them were not explained to them.”

Don and other consultants have clients bring in all the bills, letters, contracts and other documents pertaining to the money they owe. Then they assess family income, spending obligations and other lifestyle considerations.

In the first interview, the consultant needs to know whether the client’s debts are secured or unsecured. Do they have a house with a mortgage? What’s the equity? What’s the value of his or her vehicle, and is there a loan against it? Then comes a monthly budget to determine which type of program would work for them based on their leftover cash.

The solution commonly involves consolidating debts and renegotiating payments with creditors.

Don says financial institutions are usually reasonable about reducing or eliminating credit-card interest in return for a commitment to pay off the principle. If a debtor is in way over his head, he ultimately might have to pay 50 cents on the dollar or less, with Canada Debt Assistance’s help in the negotiations.

Ultimately, the firm can help restore a person’s credit rating, and even offer investment advice to divert those budgeted payments into savings once the debts are cleared.

But before all that is even begun, Don likes to assure new clients they’re not unusual in today’s easy-credit society and they shouldn’t beat themselves up for getting into a financial jam.

“A lot of people come in and they feel like they’ve done something wrong. We just try to let them know there are tons of people in their position and a lot of it is not something they intentionally did.

“They took the credit because they could afford it, and now for some reason they can’t.”

Often the debt is due to circumstances beyond people’s control. They’ve lost their job or had a divorce, or they’ve gone from a $100,000 a year job to a $30,000 a year job.

Then the expenses pile up and the outflow can seem endless.

“It leads to all sorts of problems – heart disease, strokes. I would guess that a large percentage of marriage breakups are because of debt problems.”

Cameron Don used to see this from the creditors’ point of view, during his 15 years in accounting.

“I made good money, but there was absolutely no self-satisfaction.”

He finds it’s a different world working on behalf of the debtor.

“Coming here and being able to help people is great. It’s a wonderful job.”

Canada Debt Assistance has been around for a year, during which time it has grown rapidly. Starting as a two-person office in Calgary, it has expanded and branched out to Winnipeg and Vancouver.

At first, creditors weren’t too happy about encountering a firm working on behalf of the debtors. Previously, the creditors held all the cards.

“They’re starting to see that now they don’t have to turn their files over to a collection agency, because we’ve come in the middle and said, we’ll take care of this.

“This puts somebody between the harassing phone calls from the creditors and the debtors avoiding the phone calls.”

Don can be reached at cam@rogersfinancial.net and by phone in Calgary at 252-7660.