A REDDITCH church has partnered with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to help people struggling financially, after figures showed 1.5million people in the region were in debt.
CAP’s latest polling with YouGov showed 26 per cent of adults who lived in the region said they currently had a deficit budget, which meant their income did not cover their basic essentials.
The charity is working with the Oasis Christian Centre in Redditch to offer free debt advice.
Christians Against Poverty’s Redditch debt centre manager Caroline Gray said: “This new report shows the brutal reality of living on a shockingly low income and how easy it can be to fall into debt.
“Whether it’s caring for a loved one, ill-health or a lack of suitable work opportunities, many people’s circumstances mean they have no or limited options to increase their income.
“A lot of local debt and poverty is hidden behind closed doors.
“There are individuals and families in our community who have empty fridges and are going hungry, living without the basics and keeping their curtains closed out of fear of debt collectors.”
People who would like to support Oasis Christian Centre work to help local people can email Robin Baker at [email protected] or visit the centre on Plymouth Road.
Caroline added: “Poverty can be tackled. CAP has helped thousands of people to go debt free, improve their financial situations, and increase their skills and confidence to get back into work.
“This isn’t an impossible mission but in order to tackle the problem on a wider scale we need to see positive changes to systems in our society.
“To make that happen we need more people to join our campaign against poverty.”
Visit: capuk.org/campaign for more information.
