Don’t wait to get debt help says local branch of charity

LOCAL members of a charity who care for those in financial crisis are calling for people in debt to seek free help.

The “Don’t Wait” campaign comes from the Causeway Coast branch of the charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP).

Currently there are nine million people are suffering with debt with just a fifth actually seeking help.

“A lot of people just don’t realise that free help is available,” said Causeway Coast Centre Manager David Kelly, “And yet, there are various avenues like our charity CAP, Citizens Advice and the phone-based free ones like Stepchange.”

The recent report from the Money Advice Service on Wednesday was compounded by the Bank of England’s figures saying household debt has hit new records.

From the first call to the friendly ladies on CAP’s booking line, the charity aims to instil a feeling of hope – vital when more than a third of callers say they are feeling suicidal.

David, who works from the centre in Hillman Way, Coleraine, then visits every client in their own home.

The charity’s service is unique in that the client hands all the letters and demands to David and they are sent to CAP’s UK head office where experts negotiate with every creditor on the client’s behalf. We leave new clients with a pile of free-post envelopes and as they receive letters about their debts, they don’t have to worry any more, they just pop them into the envelope and we sort it out.”