Face to face
Our debt advice centre offers free, confidential, face to face appointments. The centre is run by experienced volunteers with the aim to help you take back control of your finances and bring an end to the crippling strain of unmanaged debt. The starting point for this is reviewing your current financial situation with you, with the aim of helping you work out how to maximise your income and minimise expenditure.
A helping hand
Our team can help you to find your way through a muddle of bills, benefits, demands and overdrafts to find a budget that works for your circumstances and enables you to begin paying off your debts.
A bridge over troubled water
Standing in the gap between you and your creditors. Removing the pressure of overdue payments. Negotiating on your behalf until a manageable payment plan is agreed and ensuring this responds to changes in your circumstances. Continuing to work with you for as long as you want our support.
Contacting us
As the debt advice centre is staffed by volunteers, you may not always be able to reach us immediately. Please send us an email or leave a message on our answer-phone and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Our contact details are:
Tel:07512145707 or 07512145704
Email: debtadvice”at”ccdas.org.uk (please substitute @ for “at” when using this email address)
Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority 624373
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you help me?
We offer our service to anyone, regardless of age, religion or any other factor. Whether you are in a well paid job or reliant on benefits, if you cannot cover your regular payments you will find yourself in a difficult situation. We are happy to work with you so long as your debt is personal, not business related
How does it work?
Simply send us a message via email or phone. We will get back to you and discuss the situation. If we feel that we can help you we will arrange a face to face appointment to begin the process of advising you.
What will I need to do?
When we meet with you we will will aim to put together a full picture of your income, regular outgoings and debts. To enable us to do this we will need you to bring evidence of your income and regular household expenses. You will need to provide us with details of your debts and we will help you to list all the things you spend money on each month. This process will help us to get a full picture of your situation and the best way to address it.
What will it cost?
Our service is free. We do not handle money at all, either by asking you for donations or by paying creditors on your behalf.
My debts seem to grow faster than I can pay them off. Can you help?
With your permission, we can contact your creditors (the people you owe money to) on your behalf and negotiate with them. Usually we can make sure that they stop adding interest and charges and if appropriate, we will arrange a payment plan that suits your budget. If necessary we will help you towards insolvency.
Can I sort out my debts myself?
Of course! Our involvement will have a negative effect on your credit rating. However we can help you to sort things out yourself. The most important start is to speak to your creditors about the difficulties you are having.
Are we genuine?
The Community Centre for Debt Advice in Staplehurst is affiliated to Community Money Advice – a national charity, helping churches and community groups to set up debt advice centres. They ensure that we follow all the legal requirements in order to do what we do and they regularly check that we do it well. Our centre is regulated by the FCA and has indemnity insurance cover.