Read how Alan’s story of financial struggle has driven him to walk alongside others.
When Alan had the opportunity to train as a Money Mentor through his local church, he jumped right in.
His ‘why’ came from his own experience of financial struggle – one that went for over a decade and gave him deep empathy for those doing it tough in his community.
It started when Alan and his wife Letitia had young children. They tried to make life work on one income so Letitia could be at home with the kids. Alan worked a second job and did everything he could to hold things together.
During this season, they were introduced to an investment opportunity that promised a faster way forward – using the equity in their home to invest and pay off the mortgage sooner. Alan did extensive research, but unfortunately, the scheme collapsed.
When it fell apart, lawyers advised those involved not to repay their loans, promising a class action would make the debts unenforceable. Years later, that class action failed.
After nearly a decade of stress, Alan and Letitia were suddenly hit with not only the original debt, but the penalty interest as well, with demands to repay within 30 days.
For Alan, this was the hidden struggle beneath the crisis – not just the debt itself, but the quiet fear and pressure it created at home, the kind that people often carry in silence.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t find CAP (now Hope Economy) at the time,” says Alan.
“I was calling around to all sorts of different places, trying to figure out what to do.
“We eventually got out of it, but it was incredibly difficult.”
Others caught in the fraudulent scheme were also hit hard. Alan saw the toll it took on people around him – marriages breaking down, lives unravelling, and, in some cases, far more tragic outcomes. That experience left a deep mark.
Today, Alan is a trained Money Mentor and walks alongside people locally and around Australia online. He sees firsthand how financial struggle is often tangled up with shame. Many people reach out once, then disappear.
“One thing that really surprised me was the number of people who reached out for help once, but then didn’t respond when you followed up,” he says.
Yet he also understands that silence. He’s experienced the isolation that comes with financial pressure. And he’s seen the difference it makes when someone is given a clear path forward.
“Even when you point out that the road ahead is a long one, when there’s a clear path and a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s just a weight that lifts off people,” Alan shares.
Alan has seen hope take many forms. He’s seen people find stable housing. He’s seen young families go from being unable to see a way forward to reaching financial milestones. He’s helped couples with different personalities learn to understand one another through budgeting tools that bring structure and reduce stress.
But he’s also seen the limits. One of the hardest parts of his role has been having to say no when he’s stretched to his limits, but there simply aren’t enough mentors.
“It really broke my heart having to say no so often – seeing the need and not being able to help everyone.”
That’s why Alan believes so strongly in the work of Hope Economy. Cost of living pressures may be loud in the media, but the shame and hopelessness that follow are often hidden. And it takes trained, supported people – ordinary Christians – to step into those quiet spaces with compassion and care.
“I don’t think I’m anything special,” says Alan.
“I just try to do what I can with the situations God has put us in and work out what His plan is for us. This was definitely part of it.”
