Southampton debt services come together to support the city…

Debt is becoming a significant issue in Southampton and across the UK as we begin to see the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on jobs & livelihoods. With furlough schemes ending & unemployment on the rise, it’s expected that there will be a significant increase in demand for debt services and support in the coming months.

But across the city with the help of Love Southampton, debt services including Public Health, Welfare Rights, Citizen's Advice Bureau, No Limits, CAP (Christians Against Poverty) & Frontline Debt Advice Service have joined together to strategically meet the rising need.

Julia Maddock, who has been co-ordinating the effort on behalf of Love Southampton, gave us a taste of the work that’s been done so far:

“There is a real willingness amongst all the debt advice agencies to work together more effectively and to look at ways to increase our capacity for serving our city.  We have found we all face similar challenges but we all bring something slightly different in terms of our services and so working together we hope to provide a more complete package for the increased demand we are expecting in the coming months.

CAB (Citizen’s Advice Bureau) Southampton office saw 934 clients last year (2019). So far this year the numbers are far lower but this is thought to be because of people not feeling able to access the service online during lockdown and they expect to see significantly more in the coming months.

CAP (Christians Against Poverty) East centre have 40 ongoing clients that they are supporting and usually see 3 new clients every month.

CAP Central (Above Bar) centre have 37 ongoing clients that they are supporting and they see about 7 new clients every month. They also support about 30 people each year through their Lifeskills (money management, shopping skills, cooking skills, relationship skills etc) and their Fresh Start (helping those with addictions) courses.

And that’s just a small portion of the work that’s being done across the network of debt services.”

It’s a fantastic start, and amazing collaborative work is happening right across Southampton. But as the demand for these services increases in the coming months, so too will the need for support. If you’re interested in finding out more about debt services in the city and how you might be able to get involved, please email us at info@lovesouthampton.org.uk.

#ThereIsHope