‘What’s important to me is to get people moving.’Fostering social resilience in people with severe debt problems

Resilience is considered an important solution to problematic personal debt. European debt policy and research generally focuses on the financial resilience of individuals against life events that may generate debt problems. However, many studies overlook the social dimensions of resilience with regards to tackling problematic personal debt. In this article, we therefore explore the meaning and practices of fostering social resilience in people with severe debt problems, from the perspective of social workers, debt counsellors and volunteers working in a disadvantaged urban community in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We conducted a case study and used qualitative research methods. The findings reveal that debt problems may lead to a state of inertia in people; an incapability to move, act on or change direction within a given situation. Social workers try to foster social resilience by generating a form of movement in this inert state, and by moving along with people as they work on their debt problems at their own pace and in their local environment. This endeavour involves three interactive practices: taking the lead, activating and connecting. We conclude that fostering resilience is less about tackling debt problems head-on, and more about nurturing positive change in people’s everyday lives and actions.