Horsham Debt Advice Service was set up in February 2003 to provide free, non-judgemental debt advice. Since then, we have opened more than 1,000 client cases and helped over 2,500 people. The amount of debt we have addressed during that time is estimated to be over £10,000,000.
At present we have 105 open cases of which 51 were started in the last year. The current amount of debt involved is almost £1.7 million. The cost of living crisis and the increase in interest rates has pushed more and more people into debt. These people are not feckless but more victims of circumstance.
The pressure on our debt advice centre is increasing. The increase in case load plus the closing of one local centre with another likely to close in the near future means that we are becoming a scarce resource and it is even more vital that we are here to serve the community.
We receive no government funding. All our income is by way of grants and donation. All our work is done on a voluntary basis, there are no salaried staff. However, we do have significant costs including rent, office and communications costs and the mandatory use of FCA approved computer software.
In the near future it is likely that we will be the only source of expert non-judgemental face to face ongoing advice available to residents.
You can help.
As an organisation we need to ensure that we generate enough funds to allow us to operate and develop our service. Fundraising is key to ensuring that this vital service continues to be freely available. If you would like to know more about helping us financially, please contact us by phone, email or visit our website. The Donation facility on the website also gives access to Gift Aid which, if applicable, boosts donations without extra cost to the donor.
Horsham Debt Advice Service is a registered charity based in Horsham town centre. We provide free, non-judgemental expert debt management advice for as long as it's needed. To speak to someone in confidence call 01403 258020, email us at advisor@hdas.co.uk or visit www.hdas.co.uk for more information.