Yeovil Christians Against Poverty Centre

Aim

With the aid of CAP head office, the Yeovil Debt Centre provides tools to empower people to budget and go debt free, and transform lives.

The free debt service in Yeovil started in April 2011 and since then we've seen over 500 households, and where 125 of them have gone debt free; 16 households have so far gone debt free in 2022.

I've been the Debt Centre manager for 8 years and along with two other debt coaches, we offer three face to face visits in the homes of those in unmanageable debt and who call the CAP helpline on 0800 328 0006. Our process is simple and we aim to provide a budget on the third visit no matter how low income is or how large the debts.

Along with befrienders, building relationships with our clients is important and no judgements are made. If Enforcement Agents are knocking at their door, we will empower clients and explain that often their bark is worse than their bite.

We don't pay their debts but instead provide the tools for clients to learn how to budget and finally go debt free.

Our vision is to see transformed lives, thriving churches, and an end to UK poverty. As there's always hope, we like to think we are helping to make a difference in the lives of individuals and hence communities.

In the current Cost of Living Crisis, emergency aid is often required by so many in poverty. We provide food parcels along with fresh food shops, top ups for electric, gas and mobile phones, white goods, carpets, car repairs, and sometimes a car for a family living in a rural area. Where there's a real need, we will look to see if we can help and in order to do so, we need enough income in our CAP account.

Many of our clients have poor mental health and struggle to stay connected but we persevere and will do all we can to help people journey out of debt.

The mother of one of our clients said, "I've got my son back!"

Another client said, "The weight lifted off me not when I went debt free but when you walked in my home for the first time."

In addition to the free debt service we also have a CAP Life Skills group, which is an 8-week course, covering a wide range of daily living topics and focuses on making your money go further. It aims to equip people with the confidence, decision-making and practical skills needed to live on a low income. Sessions cover budgeting, money saving, cooking tips, wellbeing skills, and how to relate well to others.

The group very quickly develops a sense of community, making it a relaxed and fun place to meet with others in similar situations, who support and encourage each other along the way. As the course is interactive, everyone has the chance to share their experiences and money-saving tips.

Running alongside the group, we offer one-to-one informal support from our CAP Life Skills Coaches. They spend time helping members to set goals and to identify and tackle any areas they are struggling with.

Jennifer Matthew, the Life Skills Manager, says, “I love the Life Skills groups and the thing I love most, other than the fact that it provides practical everyday suggestions and ideas for making our money go further, is that the groups are always such a lovely place to belong. I really look forward to meeting each new group member and then going along each week to spend time with them.”

“We have a large team who run the course and we all try to create a welcoming, friendly and inclusive environment that people want to come to every week, because they enjoy it and feel part of it. Learning how to make our money go further is the aim but the lovely group of people that you meet and become friends with are the icing on the cake!”

This project successfully funded on 6th January 2023