Debt Response Programme
The CRT’s successful Debt Management Programme has now entered its third year.
The aim of the programme is to reduce the difficulties experienced by residents in coalfield communities as a result of mounting money management and debt issues.
Residents are able to access advice through a network of 33 Citizens Advice; Credit Union and Law Centre organisations within the 5 key coalfield regions within England. The programme funds additional opening hours as well delivery of services from a range of outreach locations.
The clearest benefit of Trust funded programme is that residents experience a reduction in the waiting time for appointments to meet with a debt adviser.
In one of the Coalfield areas, prior to the Trust funding being made available, the waiting time for appointments had been eight weeks. This delay added to the difficulties faced by clients who when vulnerable and desperate would often turn to loan sharks.
However, with the additional funding the waiting times have been reduced considerably and, consequently by dealing with issues more quickly the problems (personal and financial) do not escalate to the same extent.
Residents are offered various types of support and advice including help with the many debt related advice issues they face; help in maximising their household income; help in re-scheduling debt and taking forward money management strategies having identified priority and non-priority creditors; financial capability training; as well as employment related issues.
In the first year of delivery, it was anticipated that the programme would manage £38 million pounds of debt and work with 5,000 residents in its first year. In fact, the programme exceeded both targets and by the end of year 2 had achieved £83 million pounds of debt managed and had worked with 16,313 residents.
In addition, a further critical aspect of this programme is the recruitment and training of new volunteers by the delivery partners to assist the advice debt and caseworkers. The volunteers take on a range of essential roles from giving advice to fundraising, IT, administration, publicity, campaigning and trusteeship. In the first two year a total of 92 new volunteers have become involved with the various partner organisations.
It is anticipated that the third year of funding will enable the programme to continue and build upon its success of the first two years of delivery.
