UK Bill Help

The Salvation Army operates centres across the UK that will help families that are in debt arrears. Clients of the charity are given free advice from counsellors. The assistance given by the specialist is holistic. It will address budgeting concerns and help families with all types of debts they have, whether it is a payday loan or excessive use of credit cards.

This service is not provided in all of the Salvation Army centres. However an increasing number of locations are providing this form of advice to their clients. Even if a site that is local to a household does not offer it, staff from the charity can refer the family to other not-for profit organisations to contact for debt assistance.

Budgeting and debt services offered

When contacting the Salvation Army for support, the counselling is always free and confidential. This alone could save the person a significant amount of money as they will not need to pay enrollment fees for any programme. The assistance is also offered in partnership with the not-for-profit Community Money Advice (CMA), which is a leading charity.

The centres that provide the debt relief will have advisers on site, and these staff members will be NVQ Level 3 certified. They will meet with the applicant to assess their financial condition. During this meeting, the individual should be prepared with supporting documents on their current situation. They should bring a copy of their credit card bills, any loans they have, copies of tenancy or mortgage agreements, and proof of income. The adviser may need even more than that, but the bottom line is to be prepared.

If eligible for the debt assistance services from the Salvation Army, additional meetings will occur over multiple sessions. This is an ongoing process that will involve many steps. The consumer will need to learn about schemes available to them, such as a Debt Relief Order or DMP – Management Plan. The adviser will always answer questions and help the client enroll into these as well.

Many families also need hands on support. They may need help in negotiating a payment plan with a creditor. Or they do not understand the steps to take. For those individuals, the counsellor will call the lender and liase with them on the client’s behalf. So the Salvation Army adviser can in effect negotiate some type of debt settlement plan with a credit card company or other company.

In some cases, the adviser will help the client enter into a debt relief scheme. There are many options available, ranging from DMPs to interest rate reductions. They will write a proposal to the lender that is owed the money and offer repayment terms.

The Salvation Army deals with many different types of companies, ranging from payday lenders to banks that offer mortgages. They also help with credit card providers too. So this allows them to offer a wide range of services.

All throughout this process, the client will receive both budgeting help and practical support. This will address the root cause of why they are struggling. Some of the practical support from the Salvation Army can also be used to help the family free up their income for paying down any debts they have. If the charity provides food from a pantry, then that will reduce their groceries expenses, thereby increasing the amount of cash in their monthly budget. This is all done as part of the holistic approach.

Locations of Salvation centres

There are several that offer this type of debt advice. Appointments are needed. Clients can come from the city or town where it is based, or the assistance also extends to the wider area too. The charity also continues to open more of these centres in all parts of the UK. The current sites are below.

-1 Vicarage Street, LU1 3HZ, Luton, dial 01582 450 038. Or find other help from Luton Salvation Army.
-Bull Pond Lane, LU6 3AH, Dunstable. The centre phone number is 01582 606 031.
-Horne Lane MK40 1NY, MK40 1QS, Bedford, phone 01234 329 200.
-Another centre is at 1 Latimer Road, BH9 1JY, Winton, Bournemouth. Telephone – 01202 517989
-Post is 1203 Bourges Boulevard, PE1 2AU, Peterborough. Ring the charity at 01733 564 540.
-Residents of Scotland can drop in at the centre at 1 East Adam Street, EH8 9TF, Edinburgh, dial 0131 667 4313.
-1 Woodside Court, FK1 5AN, Falkirk, ring 01324 627 425.
-53 Church Street, TD15 1EE, Berwick-upon-Tweed. Telephone 01289 306828
-Main Street Larbert, FK5 4AB, Falkirk. For appointments, ring 01324 579783. Or lean more on the Falkirk Salvation Army services, including debt and basic need programmes.