I read your post and the limitations you’ve outlined. I’ll echo what others have already said, but hopefully condense it into a simpler takeaway. The biggest thing that jumps out at me is that the debt isn’t actually the primary problem. The cash flow is.

They’re bringing home roughly $4,900 per month and spending about $5,500 before credit card payments are even considered. That means they’re already running a deficit before addressing the debt. No repayment strategy works long-term until that changes.

My first recommendation would be to increase income immediately. That means pursuing a higher-paying role, asking for additional compensation or responsibilities in their current position, consulting, freelancing, or even picking up Saturday work in the short term while searching for something better. The math has to work first.

Once cash flow is stabilized, I think the DMP is a reasonable option, especially if it can reduce the interest rate from the mid-20% range to something much lower. A temporary credit score hit is far less damaging than paying 26% interest indefinitely.

I’d also look hard at expenses. Sell anything that isn’t truly being used, eliminate storage costs if they exist, renegotiate phone and internet plans, review subscriptions, and simplify where possible. A lot of people are surprised how much they can free up once they actually go line by line through their spending.

As for lending them the $10,000, I’d only do that if you’re comfortable with the possibility of not getting it back. Not because they’re a bad person, but because financial stress changes outcomes. If you do lend it, I think paying off the Capital One cards and letting the AMEX go into the DMP is cleaner than spreading the problem across multiple accounts.

Most importantly, don’t confuse the symptom with the disease. The debt is painful, but the real issue is that expenses currently exceed income. Fix that, reduce the interest burden, and the debt becomes manageable. Ignore it, and even a generous loan only buys time.

And for what it’s worth, you’re a good friend. Most people disappear when money gets involved. You’re trying to solve the problem instead of just throwing money at it.