Western Circle trading as Cashfloat is a short term loan lender in the UK. Our aim is to help UK consumers to overcome temporary financial difficulty in a fast and flexible manner. However, we know that there are many people in the UK who face long term financial difficulty and look for debt solutions. In previous articles, we have discussed the organisation, Christians Against Poverty. In this article, CAP’s solutions are explained in detail to help you decide if they are the right solution for you and how can CAP help.
How can CAP help me?
Debt Management by CAP
Christians Against Poverty believes that using a debt management plan to get out of debt is only half of the solution and that there should also be an emphasis on resolving the personal dilemmas that may have helped to cause the debt situation. Debt counselling aims to get to the heart of the underlying causes and bring these out in the open so that they can also be addressed. If this is successful then it can prevent the same circumstances from occurring in the future.
Debt Counselling by CAP
If you have reached the point where debt is weighing you down and there appears to be no way out of the situation, it is time to look for outside help. Christians Against Poverty is a charitable organisation that is dedicated to helping people with financial problems even if those same people feel that there is no resolution in sight.
Debt counselling is part of the service that the charity gives to those who are desperate to return to normality but can’t see how to achieve that aim. The people who counsel do not judge or apportion blame as they are very aware that there are many reasons why someone could find themselves owing large sums of money.
How Does Counselling Work?
While Christians Against Poverty can organise a debt management plan to deal with the practical issues surrounding debt, a debt counsellor will deal with the emotional fall out that has taken hold. A counsellor will help you to see and understand how the situation arose and the aim of the counselling is to get right down to the issues that caused the debt in the first place.
Once you understand how it happened you will be on your way to preventing the situation from every happening again. In addition, just feeling that you have some control over the future is often enough to take away some of the feelings of helplessness that often engulf those who are in debt.
The counsellor at Christians Against Poverty will never make judgements about how the debt situation occurred. They are there to give advice, help and more importantly the emotional support that is so vital when money difficulties occur.
Causes Of Debt
In the UK, in the not too distant past, it was deemed perfectly in order to borrow money. After all a mortgage is also a debt and no one thinks that this type of borrowing should be cut back. However, there was a time when credit cards and personal loans were simply too easy to get and this, together with the belief that the economy would carry on booming, led to many people borrowing sums that were too large.
When the financial crisis hit the UK a lot of families had high amounts of personal debt and as unemployment took hold and house prices started to fall, they suddenly found themselves with debts that could not be repaid. So, what are the common reasons for debts?
If you have a steady job and borrow money to buy a house or car you are using the normal channels to get what you need. However, if interest rates rise or you borrow too much, charges for the debt can soon get out of hand and this is how some people get into debt.
Sometimes spending can become an addiction which can lead to debt and there are other addictions like alcohol and gambling which can also set in motion a downward spiral into financial problems.
Often it can be a case of ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ that has led to uncontrollable debt. When banks and finance companies are offering money to all and sundry, it can be very tempting to borrow to buy a better car or go on that foreign holiday just as your neighbours are doing. Advertising can also help to persuade otherwise sensible people that they really do need the latest tablet or smart phone.
There are also occasions when bad financial decisions are the cause of debt. This is not a personal fault but possibly due to a lack of understanding about property prices or having taken some bad advice about an investment that seemed too good to miss. Many people bought houses when prices were high only to become victims of negative equity as prices rapidly fell.
‘Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans’. So said John Lennon and the quote is never more true than when it is applied to our personal lives. Wholescale redundancies in a town can lead to a long period of unemployment and even if you have received a payoff it may not be enough to sustain your debts.
The cost of a divorce or the sudden unexpected death of a partner can also lead to financial problems and as most people have little in the way of savings, the sudden loss of income can be enough to cause financial problems.
So, it is easy to see how you can soon fall into a situation where you may not be able to pay your bills or repay loans or even the mortgage on your home.
Getting Help from Christians Against Poverty
Once debt rises its ugly head it can result in emotional and physical problems. Constant worrying can cause arguments between partners which can even result in a breakdown of the relationship. Stress can also be the cause of problems at work and if it goes on for a long time may result in a mental breakdown. During the last few years there have been some well documented cases of men who were formerly well off but who decided that the only way out of debt was to take their own lives.
The relationship between large amounts of debt and mental health is well known. Debt can cause stress, depression, anxiety and these feeling can lead to low self esteem and a lack of self confidence. If you want to contact CAP, you can do so using the following ways:
Christians Against Poverty |
Contact Information |
| Website | https://capuk.org |
| info@capuk.org | |
| Telephone | 01274 760720 |
| Address | Jubilee Mill, North Street, Bradford, BD1 4EW |
The aim of debt counselling through Christians Against Poverty is to give advice and support as well as practical assistance. The main aim is to reassure you that Yes, you will one day get out of debt and return to a life that is normal. Although you may feel completely helpless in the face of debt, the counsellor from CAP can help you see past that dark and hopeless feeling and assist you to see that your life can be rebuilt.
Do I Need To Go To Church to Get Help from CAP UK?
Christians Against Poverty is a completely impartial organisation and whilst its whole ethos is based on faith, no one will expect you to go to church as a ‘payment in return’. The charity is dedicated to helping anyone who finds themselves with money problems.
Can CAP Help Me?
Debt counselling from CAP can help you to deal with your financial problems and come out the other end a stronger and more knowledgeable person. Just being able to deal with everyday bills, organising a budget and making even some small savings will help you to feel more confident and see that there is a way forward in the future.
The organisation does not expect anything in return and is actively expanding its services both in the UK and in some other countries. CAP can help and advise you so that you become independent, impartial and free.
The most important thing to remember is that you are certainly not alone and that others have gone through this same situation and come out the other end with their relationships, their home and their sanity fully intact.
Christians Against Poverty is supported by some major financial organisations, even including a payday loan lender. This is one of the companies that is now dedicated to responsible lending in the UK and if this type of change in business ethics continues, it could help to put an end to the misery of debt that has blighted the lives of so many ordinary people in the UK.
Chapter 5:
Christians Against Poverty Part Two
Chapter 7:
Why you Shouldn’t Manage your Debt with High Cost Loans
