Frontline Offers Free Debt Advice in Camberley

Frontline in Reading explain how the charity works

Frontline, a successful free debt and benefits advice service in Camberley, is finding it tough to engage local organisations, despite a list of happy clients they have helped over the last 18 months. Although the team are trained volunteers, and Frontline is registered with the Office of Fair Trading, sadly they are not receiving any referrals from local agencies. 

Unemployment has risen across the UK (up 80,000 over the quarter to 2.51 million), the largest increase since the three months to August 2009. In Surrey Heath, which covers Camberley, there were 1,282 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. Despite this, Charles Bruce, from Frontline says: “Most of our clients are coming from leaflets left in churches, personal references and references given by existing clients. Sadly there have not been any clients referred by local agencies”.

In previous posts, we have highlighted who Frontline are, and the valuable work they do for people in need in Surrey Heath. Many of the 18 clients the Camberley branch have advised continue to require ongoing support due to long running legal cases. Now we can report on the real success stories they have had.  One client wrote: “Just a note  to thank you so much for all the support you have given us over the past weeks. We felt very much less alone after we had our first meeting with you, and do now feel that at least every avenue has been explored . I'm sure there will be the odd darker moments. Still, I think we both now feel quite positive about the future, that perhaps it all might work for good, so to speak. I wish we could find the words to express our thanks for someone who has been willing to give such time and effort to help us see the way through. Thank you”. One extreme case of financial distress was a client evicted from rented accommodation, with no job, and sleeping in their car. Since Frontline got involved, the client is receiving the benefits to which they are entitled, back in rented accommodation, and attending job interviews. Another case was a single parent and teenage child,  who had been sleeping on the floor for fifteen months. All their white goods were about to be repossessed. With the help of St Vincent de Paul in Camberley, and the Lions, they now have sufficient furniture, including beds and appliances. Negotiations are in hand with their creditors.

Frontline welcome local organisations to refer people who may be heading towards debt, or are already in debt, or simply need benefit advice. To find out more about Frontline in Camberley, email camberley@FrontlineDebtAdvice.org.uk or phone 07880 711730 (24 hour message line).

07880 711730 (24 hour message line)

 camberley@FrontlineDebtAdvice.org.uk

Camberley Frontline, St Paul’s Church Centre, Crawley Ridge, Camberley GU15 2AD

Camberley Besom - Sweeping Away Suffering

As we head towards winter, some people are going to have to make a choice between eating, or heating.

There are a number of charities in Camberley, that are helping to eradicate poverty. We are going to highlight these organisations, and what they do, over the next few weeks, starting with the Besom. Surrey Heath is often thought of as an affluent area, but there are pockets of poverty too. A survey, in March 2010 by Confused.com, into credit card debt showed that Camberley, at £2001 per resident, had the highest in the UK.

The Besom are a local charity specialising in providing food packs and other items to those in need, in Camberley and the surrounding area. They work with local churches, who provide a support network of collection points, where various items may be dropped off. Demand has increased over recent months, and the concern is that as we head towards winter, some people are going to have to make a choice between eating, or heating.

I spoke with Diane Marlow, one of the volunteers from Camberley Besom. They are a national organisation, but each branch is unique, run by local Christians, on behalf of local churches, to meet the needs of local people. They help people of all ages and situations. They have created a series of packs, which can quickly be dispatched to those in need. For example food packs, new mum packs and kitchen starter packs. The Besom have a specific ethos when it comes to donated items used to make up the packs. A food item with “value” on the label makes people feel that’s all they are worth. Diane says: “the clients we work with have very low self esteem, very little self confidence and very little money. When they go shopping they have little choice, they have to buy the basic items in order to survive. We want them to see that their value is greater than that. So in a small way, when we take a gift to someone, we want them to feel it’s a small reflection of the way in which God values them”. This ethos means anything donated should be of the very best quality, not from a value or basic range, but of a standard that shows that people are valued.  People on the poverty line have very little choice, so we need to make them feel special.

One example of the help the Besom has provided in Camberley was a young family from Staines with a 6-month-old baby. They were required by Social Services to move into local B&B accommodation, as they had a relative in the Camberley area. The father lost his job because he didn’t have transport to get from Camberley to Staines. With the resulting delay in benefits, they found themselves unable to feed themselves or their baby. Besom were able to support them over a number of weeks with food and other essential items until their financial difficulty was resolved.

Another example was a young mum in difficult circumstances, who had given birth earlier than expected and was unprepared. The Besom were contacted with a request for a baby bath. They went out with the bath, a new mum pack and a food pack. Often people need a selection of items, and the Besom try and meet those needs.

I asked Diane what motivates her as an unpaid volunteer to work for the Besom. Diane says “this is God’s direction for me, it’s what I sensed him wanting me to be doing. Also in my normal work [with young people] I had one girl who was made homeless, and it was a real eye opener, just how difficult it was to find sources of help for her, and how much need there was for people in this area”.

Demand for the service that Besom provide is growing, with an unexpected increase in August. Diane forecasts with the current economic pressures, she believes it will get tougher as people have to choose if they spend their money on fuel or food. In a future blog post, we’ll be looking at Frontline, another local organisation that provides free debt advice. The Besom and Frontline work together, along with several other organisations, as often people on the poverty line require help from several specialist organisations.

The packs are their primary focus, but the Besom can also help in other ways. For example, from time to time they can organise a group of volunteers to help with gardening, painting and decorating or cleaning. The Besom take referrals from recognised organisations such as a Doctor or other health professional, local school, social services, or housing associations.

For more information on Camberley Besom, or to get in contact with them, you can email camberleybesom@gmail.com or phone 07543 319921

You can hear the full interview with Diane by clicking on the play button below.