CAP Debt Center and Budgeting Skills Course
Aberdeen, UK
Integrate Scotland is a social action charity running a number of projects to support the disadvantaged, those on the margins and the excluded. The CAP Debt Center project provides Free Debt Help and a Budgeting Skills Course. We provide a free, award winning debt help service in association with CAP, for people who find themselves in an unmanageable debt situation. The service is unique in its delivery. Our Debt Center Manager makes 3 visits to the client’s homes to: 1. Explain the service and provide reassurance, 2. Gather the necessary financial information and 3. Explain options and obtain agreement. CAP head office creates a realistic budget, prioritising housing, heating and food. They contact the creditors on the clients’ behalf and agree manageable repayment terms, working to stop unfair interest and charges. In extreme cases, we can walk the client through insolvency and can even attend court with them. Recognising the isolating consequences of debt, The Center Manager allocates a volunteer befriender to each client. The befriender maintains a relationship for as long as is required / desired, with a view to supporting the person emotionally and practically, by way of food parcels for example, and to help them access community. The service user no longer has to have any contact with their creditors and their budget is managed for them until they are debt free. The system is highly effective, over 90% of bills & debt repayments are paid on time by established clients. 94% of clients rated the service as a ‘great help’ or ‘life transforming’. CAP are multi-award winning, including The Martin Williams Award for Contribution to the Credit Industry 2013 & 2014. We also deliver the CAP money course, a free course that teaches budgeting skills and a simple, cash-based system that works. Delegates are enabled to get to grips with their finances so they can budget, save and prevent debt. The course has something for everyone and caters for a wide range of clients, whether they feel confident and organised or whether it's like a lucky dip every time they try to withdraw cash from their account, the CAP Money Course helps them to take complete control of their finances. On the face of it, unmanageable debt is owing money that you can’t afford to repay, but often, it’s the unseen consequences that can cause devastation… • 68% of (CAP) clients suffer from depression as a result of their debt situation. • 38% are taking medication due to the stress of debt. • 21% miss meals on a regular basis to feed their children. • 34% of clients have considered suicide or attempted suicide due to debt. CAP are unsurpassed when it comes to the debt help they give people across the country. There’s nothing better to start you on the path to having more money in your pocket. Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert CAP is fantastic, I came across its work a few years ago & what they have done is staggering. Prince Charles, HRH, Prince of Wales
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