Financial Advocacy
& Mental Health Support

There is a clear relationship between financial debt and mental illness, vice versa there is a clear relationship between mental illness and those who find themselves in financial difficulty. It’s made especially harder if you are already vulnerable: whether you suffer from a mental illness, or are victim of family violence/financial abuse, elderly or indigenous. We’re here to take away that struggle and guide you through with genuine, caring financial advocacy and debt management services.

Get on top of your debts

There are many reasons why people get into debt, and it’s nothing that you need to be ashamed of. Small Village is an Australian based business which provides a wholistic, all round solution to financial difficulty and mental health, given the clear relationship between the two. Our Case Managers have a strong understanding of the relationship between mental illness and financial difficulty, allowing them to provide expert support.

Our number one priority is it ensure we do no harm – our goal is to change your situation so that it is healthier than when you first came to us.

We offer a range of solutions such as long term arrangements, reduced balances, in some cases debt waivers.

We do not promote any form of bankruptcy nor will our work cause a default.

Ultimately, we aim to provide solutions that work for both you and the financial firms who you money to, or for whatever reason has impacted your credit file.

“The guys from Small Village were nothing short of amazing! I never in my wildest dreams even knew that these people existed. Finding myself in a hopeless rut in life, severe depression, financial debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the best things I have done in my life is getting in contact with them. I can finally breath again and get on with living the life I always wanted to live, without having to spend my whole pay check on my debts with no end in sight. Thank you.”

Leo

Credit repair services

Financial independence is critical to a person getting back on track. When mental illness impacts your financial position, or where your financial position impacts your mental health it is likely that your credit file can or will be impacted. Our aim is to stop or remove any impact on your credit file – mental illness or financial difficulty are not expected, they are beyond your control and because of this, you should not be impacted because of something that is unexpected and/or beyond your Control

We understand your needs

Financial difficulty is often linked to a range of other circumstances, most notably mental health conditions. Here at Small Village, we understand there is a variety of reasons you may have found yourself struggling with debt, and we’re not here to judge. Our aim is to provide you with the support, advocacy and assistance you need to get back on your feet and move forward without the stress of debt and threats of legal action.

Self-representation

If you need advice and guidance on dealing with debt, but you still want to deal with your creditors directly, that’s totally fine. We can give you all the support, advice, guidance and tools necessary to represent yourself when seeking debt outcomes – our free resources are available via this link https://www.smallvillage.com.au/resources

Fully personalised service

There’s no magic wand that fixes financial problems. It takes hard work, commitment and careful planning. A lot of the time, it also takes a helping hand and the right type of guidance. We take the time to listen and understand your circumstances, tailoring our support to perfectly suit your individual needs. This may include additional mental health services, domestic abuse services and targeted agencies for our indigenous clients.

Legal & financial advice

Is it important to understand that Small Village does not provide legal advice, nor can we represent you in legal proceedings. We also do not offer financial advice. If you require free financial advice, please go to the National Debt Help Line at www.ndh.org.au

Building your support network

While we specialise in financial advocacy and debt counselling, we also have a strong background in mental health, which means we understand the two are very often linked. It’s difficult to work on your mental health while there are unmanageable debts hanging over your head. It’s also difficult to manage your debts if you’re experiencing mental health difficulties. We work to build a support network around you, putting you in touch with the right services for your individual needs. It’s this holistic approach that sets us apart from other debt counselling services and helps us achieve the maximum debt relief for our clients.

We appreciate feedback, both positive and negative, to improve our processes and ensure our clients are treated appropriately and that we are acting in your best interests. It is important for us to receive feedback, both positive and in the unfortunate instance it is negative to ensure we can continue to improve how we assist our clients, engage with financial firms and how we provide our mental health services.
If you have a complaint, please, in the first instance bring this to our attention directly, this is generally referred to as the ‘internal dispute resolution process, (IDR). We will acknowledge your concerns within 24 hours or one business day as we are obliged to, depending on when you raise these concerns with us. For instance, if you raise a concern or complaint on a Friday night, we are most likely to respond to you on a Monday.
If your complaint is not resolved within 28 days, you have the option to refer your complaint to the financial services Ombudsman, AFCA (The Australian Financial Complaints Authority). AFCA is a free service who oversees most financial services complaints. If you wish to contact AFCA, you can do so by phone, email, post or live chat, the details of which are below.
Phone: 1800 931 678
Email: [email protected]
Postal Address: GPO Box 3, Melbourne,  3001
Live Chat: https://www.afca.org.au/make-a-complaint/complain/livechat