Credit card debt consolidation loans have been a long time solution to debt. For years, if you had debt you went to the bank and got a loan and you made loan payments instead of credit card payments, but are debt consolidation loans still a viable option for debt relief?With the current economy and lending institutions not being willing to freely lend money, consolidating your debt with a HELOC is not your best option for debt consolidation. A HELOC uses your home as collateral to secure the loan. These loans do normally have very reasonable interest rates, but the problem lies with possibility of default. If you don’t pay your credit cards, about the worst thing the lender can do is sue you. But if you don’t make payments on a HELOC, you could be facing foreclosure. Another problem with debt consolidation loans is that most people usually have credit card debt again within a year.Credit counseling is also a form of credit card debt consolidation, but it does not use a loan, require a credit check or home ownership. This makes it so that nearly anyone that has debt can use this option. Your unsecured debts are consolidated so that you will only have to make one payment each month, regardless of the number of accounts that have been placed with the debt counseling company. Your interest rates will be reduced and your fees eliminated.You will make a payment that is approximately 2% of the debt that has been placed with the debt counseling organization. Because your payment remains consistent regardless of your balance, you will have your debts paid off in about five years. Five years may seem like a long time when there are organizations offering debt relief in three years. But you have to realize that those programs will ruin your credit.