Document assistance.

Practical help.

I had started the organization with a borrowed desk and a secondhand printer after working for years in bookkeeping and then managing a nonprofit housing office.

We helped people understand benefit notices, negotiate repayment plans, prepare tax documents, and avoid the small financial mistakes that become catastrophic when you live close to the edge.

We weren’t a wealthy organization.

Our staff bought their own birthday cakes, and we still celebrated when a grant came through.