Di Forbes enjoys her position as a Money Buddy for the Leeds-based charity Money Buddies, but the ever-growing number of individuals in financial distress makes it increasingly challenging. According to Saleem Shafi, chief executive officer of Money Buddies, “the industry has reached its breaking point in the face of a debt tsunami.”
National charities concur; Citizens Advice reported assisting more than 200,000 people with crisis support such as food bank referrals over the past year, and StepChange reported a 78% increase in clients between December and January compared to the same period last year. Christians Against Poverty added that it is also experiencing an increase in demand for its services, particularly emergency assistance, but its funding is insufficient.
The Treasury stated that it has invested £90 million in free debt advice and average support worth £3,500 per household to assist individuals in avoiding debt, but this appears inadequate. Emily Thomas, a journalist for the BBC, spent a day with Di Forbes and witnessed firsthand the stress placed on Money Buddies employees.
Di began the day as a Money Buddy at the Trussell Trust foodbank in Gipton, Leeds, where she works full-time. She described her job as similar to triage, in which she gathers basic information from those in need of assistance and directs them to the appropriate department or service, such as the charity’s benefits or debt team, a foodbank, or a utility top-up service.
Throughout the day, Di encountered vulnerable individuals who required assistance with a variety of tasks, including filing for benefits and topping off energy metres. She told Emily, “I like it when someone gets what they deserve, what they need, keeps them safe, and resolves their issues. I adore that”
Di continued to work at the Armley Community Hub, where she assists two women with emergency food and energy top-ups, followed by a woman with an eight-week-old baby and no money on her prepayment metre to heat her home, after her scheduled time off. She stated, “It feels endless. It’s like a tsunami, it just doesn’t stop.”
Di Forbes is among the many frontline workers combating the UK debt crisis. Despite the Treasury’s investment in free debt advice, the demand for assistance is outpacing the available resources. National charities have warned that 2023 could be “the year of the debt crisis,” highlighting the urgent need for additional funding to meet this demand and provide the necessary assistance to those in financial distress.
