(Photo: Christians Against Poverty)
Two Christian debt advice charities have joined together to form what they say will be the UK’s biggest specialist community-based debt advice organisation, as demand grows for face-to-face help amid worsening financial hardship.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and Community Money Advice (CMA) announced that they are merging while keeping both existing identities.
The new combined structure will deliver free regulated debt advice through 380 centres based in churches and community organisations throughout the UK.
The move comes just after Debt Awareness Week and against a backdrop of rising poverty, persistent financial pressure, and growing concern over the scale of personal debt.
According to government figures cited by the charities, around eight million adults in the UK are living with crisis levels of debt, with many wanting in-person support within their local communities.
The two organisations said the merger is intended to strengthen their response at a time when many households are being pushed beyond their limits by the cost of essentials.
They pointed to a sharp rise in the price of food, heating, housing and clothing, alongside stagnant incomes for the lowest 20% of earners.
They also said they are seeing increasing levels of chronic physical and mental ill health among those seeking help, as debt and poverty take a deeper toll.
CAP chair David Nussbaum said the partnership would help ensure continued access to specialist support for people facing severe financial strain.
“Coming alongside CMA allows us to ensure continued access to the expert help people need,” he said. “We can now reach thousands more people trapped in deep financial crises, extreme anxiety, and isolation that leaves them feeling crushed. This partnership is a big boost for hope and practical assistance.”
They said they would continue working closely with local churches, while also supporting CMA’s existing relationships with community organisations.
Services will focus on three main areas: financial education, regulated debt advice, and support for charities already offering debt advice.
That means local partners will be equipped not only to help people manage money better and maximise income, but also to connect them with more detailed debt support when needed.
Julian Mander, chair of CMA, said the merger would strengthen what both charities are already doing on the ground.
“The shared expertise and resources will ensure our local partners are better equipped than ever to meet the complex needs of their communities,” he said.
The merged organisations will be headed by CAP chief executive Stewart McCulloch, who will become CAP Group Chief Executive.
He said the partnership would create a stronger nationwide network able to respond both to the financial and emotional burden of debt.
“Together we have a powerful and united front against debt,” he said.
“We now have over a thousand highly trained debt advisors, mentors and coaches based in communities across the UK, dedicated to bringing hope where there was fear, support where there was isolation and the warmth of community into cold homes.”
He added that a comparable number were also involved in providing money coaching, life skills training and job clubs.
Martin Lewis, a consumer finance expert, welcomed the development, saying CAP had already built a strong reputation for helping people in debt.
“It tends to spend far longer with its clients than many other similar agencies, enabling it to help with the emotional fallout as well as the financial practicalities,” he said.
“I hope the scale and community reach of this combined charity will be a lifeline for many more people struggling with debt.”
The charities said the need for that kind of lifeline is becoming increasingly urgent, with more children and working adults being drawn into hardship and many households forced into impossible choices over basic living costs.
Across the span of the last three decades, CAP said more than 250,000 people have received assistance through its services.
Mr McCulloch said: “Our unified vision is clear: that anyone in financial crisis and emotional distress will be able to get the support they need in their community, ensuring no one has to face the devastating impact of debt alone.”
