Self Help for people in debt
7th June 2010
Citizens Advice is pleased to announce the launch of the ‘Dealing with Debt Self Help Factsheets’ which will be held on the 8th June in the Lecture Theatre of the Ulster Museum.
In the year April 2009 - March 2010 the Dealing with Debt Service has helped over 2,500 clients with over £33 million of debt. This is an increase of 7% on the previous year and continues a four year upward trend since the service began.
In 2009 redundancy enquiries increased by 42% to 3,333 and the impact of the recession has meant that more people are seeking advice and information on their debt situation.
In response to this Citizens Advice have produced a range of fact sheets on debt that people can access on the Citizens Advice Website. The production of these fact sheets has been made possible by the funding and support of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment.
The event will begin at 9:30am for coffee and registration with the presentations commencing at 10:00am.
Derek Alcorn, Chief Executive said ‘These factsheets aim to help those people who just want simple to read information on a range of topics which include Bankruptcy, Rent Arrears and Enforcing a Debt as well as useful resources such as budget sheets and sample letters. The factsheets have been designed to be printed off or simply viewed on the Citizens Advice Website. The demand for debt advice services has increased year on year and these fact sheets will help Citizens Advice meet the needs of those clients who use the internet to seek information and advice.’
Notes to Editors:
1. Citizens Advice is the largest advice charity in Northern Ireland working against poverty, meeting the information and advice needs of some 92,000 people per year and dealing with over 321,000 issues. Sixty per cent of queries relate to social security. Citizens Advice Northern Ireland has formal links to National Citizens Advice in England and Wales and close working relationships with Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). Together the three associations constitute the largest advice network in Europe, with over 60 year’s experience of providing advice and information to the public. For more information see www.citizensadvice.co.uk.
2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
3. Citizens Advice is currently managing a £1.2m contract from DETI for the provision of debt advice in Northern Ireland, and a contract from the Social Security Agency for benefit take up which is targeted on 25,000 people.