Life Centre Debt Advice has been delivering debt advice for 12 years!
LCDA provides specialist, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated debt advice to some of the most financially vulnerable households across the Black Country. Operating in areas of high deprivation, we support individuals and families who are experiencing severe financial hardship, mental-health challenges, domestic abuse, eviction risk, and long-term instability. Despite the challenges the charity sector is experiencing, we are thankful to our supporters as we have managed to continue to offer help as follows:
- Demand for our service continues to rise sharply as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, and the complexity of cases has increased significantly.
- In 2025–26, we received 145 new enquiries; a 50% increase on the previous year & took on 54 new households carrying a record £1.24 million of debt.
- Despite operating with reduced advisor capacity for much of the year, LCDA delivered 182 days of service, supporting 118 adults and children.
- Among the 73 households we served, we improved monthly household finances by an average of £135.50, helping families move from a deficit to a sustainable surplus.
- We prevented evictions, halted bailiff action, reduced priority and non-priority debts by £129,831, and provided a safe, trusted environment for clients experiencing acute distress.
In these increasingly tough economic times, our team worked hard to be Jesus’ hands and feet to those who come through our doors to offer HOPE to the Hopeless & helping HAND to those needing Help. Our prayer is that our clients leave us with a lighter HEART and increased resilience for their FUTURE. Our relational, face-to-face model, combined with strong partnerships with advice agencies, churches, health practitioners and public bodies, continues to deliver deep & lasting benefits to our clients. However:
- The scale of need now exceeds our capacity. A 36% reduction in salaried advisor hours forced us to close to new enquiries for the first time in 12 years, and waiting times have lengthened beyond our FCA-aligned targets.
- Without additional funding, we cannot meet rising demand, reduce waiting list or provide the level of support required for increasingly complex cases. Investment is urgently needed to restore advisor hours, strengthen volunteer capacity and expand our multi-venue delivery model across Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton.
- Increased funding will enable LCDA to reopen to new enquiries, reduce waiting times and provide high-quality, regulated debt advice to households who have nowhere else to turn. It will allow us to stabilise families in crisis, prevent homelessness, improve mental wellbeing and build long-term financial resilience in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the region. With more support, LCDA will be able to continue to bring hope, stability and transformation to hundreds of lives each year.
Domestic abuse survivor, Helen (which is not her real name), was facing divorce, repossession and homelessness. The mortgaged home she had enjoyed for 15 years was repossessed due to her mortgage not being maintained by her husband (unbeknown to her) who then filed for bankruptcy. With Life Centre Debt Advice’s 12 month support, Helen successfully navigated her homelessness and financial crisis through proactive debt management, budgeting and lifestyle adjustments. She is now re-settled in her new accommodation, living with an income surplus and enjoying an affordable lifestyle. Helen’s situation had understandably impacted upon her wellbeing and mental health but following help from the Life Centre Debt Advice and over time, this has lessened as her circumstances were addressed and changes were brought about.
Helen repeatedly offered her thanks to LCDA, “I am so grateful of your help with these matters, great results, I really appreciate it.”
With our help, key outcomes were:
- Helen’s mental health significantly improved
- She has been re-housed, has financial security, has increased self-confidence and is emotionally recovering
- £7,350 Solicitor’s Debt settled for £1,500
- £1,400 Council Tax Arrears set at £20/month
- £15,000 Loan reduced to £1/month
- £288 Communications debt settled for £42