The Southend CAP Debt Advice Centre (SCDAC) was established 9 years ago and is made up of 15 Partner Churches across the city of Southend. For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym CAP, it stands for Christians Against Poverty and our primary aim is to see people become debt free and to show them and tell them of the love of Christ. It is a service open to all, however we are unashamedly Christian and offer to pray with clients and share our faith.
Since opening, the Centre has seen £1,854,046 of debts cleared for 150 clients who are now debt free, the majority of which have been insolvency cases. The pressure that this has released in our clients is not measurable.
During this period we have noticed client situations have become more complex, with debt being just one of their issues and the rise in poor mental health and relationship breakdowns making the process more difficult.
It is always a privilege to walk alongside these people, but it does bring challenges and our patience is often tested. We give thanks to our Prayer Supporters for upholding the Debt Coaches and befrienders behind the scenes.
Change in 2024
After 10 years of faithful service to the Centre, Richard Leadley will be stepping down as the Centre Manager from the end of June 2024. We are delighted that he will continue as a Debt Coach on a voluntary basis and help with the transition to a new Centre Manager. Hopefully you would have noticed the job advertisement on the pages of the Love Southend website for this paid position. If you are interested in learning more about the 20 hour a week role please see this linked page, the closing date is 3rd December 2024.
CAP Money returns…
Watch this space as CAP head office have launched a new and improved CAP Money course to help people budget and take control of their money.
Leigh Road Baptist Church’s Living Room community space on the Leigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea is an ideal location to run such a course for the community and we’re hopeful we can get a team together in 2024 to make this happen.
Christmas 2023
This Christmas we aim to bless 35 clients with a Christmas hamper containing food, small gifts, toiletries, and items that would be seen as a ‘treat’. Each hamper costs around £40 and we ask supporters to donate to the Client Blessing Fund. If you are willing and able to support the appeal this year please contact…
Julie Eady (Leigh Road Baptist Church) has has always been involved in the Debt Centre in some capacity and is currently the Chair of Trustees. She said, “I am always amazed at the support we get from local Churches and individuals both financially and through volunteering, prayer support and general encouragement. If you would like to become a supporter, we’d love to chat to you, or you can simply email us to be added added to our mailing list keeping you informed of events and prayer pointers”.
In these hard economic times please uphold the Centre as it reaches those in debt.