PR manager slept in car for two months

Dubai Mounting debts have forced an Indian family in Dubai to live in abject conditions, sleeping in their car and in parks for nearly two months.

"When one is in trouble, a helping hand is not long enough," said Lawrence, a 51-year-old sales manager who is struggling to eke out a living for his family after two job losses forced him to take credit cards and landed him in debt.

He lives with his wife and son in a cramped room in Al Quoz. Piles of clothes, loose medicine, paper, paltry food items, plastic bags are stuffed in every nook and corner.

"We could not use the room for two months as the landlord had cut off power and water supplies. We had not paid four months' rent," said Lawrence.

With tears in her eyes, his wife Janet said: "I would spend time in the malls during the day. In the evenings, we would sit in the park for hours or sleep in the car later with the windows down."

It's a far cry from their heyday in Dubai. A former advertising and public relations manager, Lawrence said his ordeal began when he lost his first job six years ago. He said his employer did not settle his dues. He didn't cancel his visa either, so he stayed on in the hope that he would get a new job.

"But I was unemployed for seven months which compelled me to take a credit card to pay for my rent, food and my sons' fees."

A second job loss a few years later forced him to take another credit card.

Vicious cycle

"It was a vicious circle. I couldn't pay my dues as I did not have an income. I have a job now but I don't make enough. But banks have started chasing me and my worst fear is that I will land in jail," said Lawrence, adding that he even contemplated suicide at one point. He said his son who finished his Class XII exams with distinction was forced to give up his studies so that he could work to augment the family income.

"But it's not easy," he said. "The common notion is that the grass is greener in this part of the world. But that's not the case after the [global] recession. People like us try hard to get out of our monetary mess but we need real solutions, not just sympathy from friends or intimidating tactics by the same banks who sweet-talked us into buying credit cards."

Lawrence fears his credit card outstanding (Dh20,000) will mount as his meagre income will not allow him to clear it in a hurry. "I need help," he pleaded.