Everybody — including those in the credit and collection industry — know that bad things often happen to good people. Not everyone is in debt because they choose not to pay their bills. Many people are victims of circumstance. And those stories can be heartbreaking. This is definitely one of those stories.
But those stories do not always have to end badly. Sometimes, the system works just as it should.
The author recounts how, during a period of time in which she was homeless or living in a shelter, she incurred nearly $4,000 in debt for three ambulance rides to local hospitals. The debts, which went unpaid for some time, “wrought havoc” on her credit and “hampered” her recovery.
In this case, the author of the article — in recounting her experiences of how rebuilding her credit helped her rebuild her life — followed the steps she needed to follow in order to validate her debts, and her story has a happy ending. But, the author noted, the problem is not always that easily fixed for homeless individuals. A lack of a physical address, lack of access to an email account, and a lack of funds to pay for certified letters to be sent can hamper a homeless person’s recovery out of debt.
