Life Centre Debt Advice (LCDA) was launched in May 2014 and our main office is based in Stourbridge town centre. LCDA is licensed to offer free, confidential, regulated advice from its team of competent and professionally trained advisors. As a registered charity, brought into existence at the request of the Churches Together in Stourbridge, LCDA offers money management, debt advice, guidance and support to around 100 households a year.
The current team of staff and volunteers are drawn from the local Christian community, and work together to provide help and support to clients for as long as it takes to bring stability to their financial affairs. This can take up to 18 months. As well as relieving the stress of money worries, we also seek to offer our clients hope for the future, whatever their background, faith, or circumstances, without judgement, and to encourage responsible ownership and action to overcome the difficulties they face.
We collaborate with other organisations within our communities to address the frequently complex needs of our clients.
Debt is so often the “tip of the iceberg”, a symptom of other circumstances, and LCDA recognise the importance of helping the client with these facets of their lives as well.
We have become well-known in the community for our professionalism, our caring approach and understanding of our clients’ needs.
We are supported by individuals, church groups, trusts and charities.
Churches Together in Stourbridge
We are accredited by Community Money Advice to give debt advice.
Our charitable objectives:
1
To relieve poverty by providing ethical debt and money management advice, free of charge
2
To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded (for the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result financial hardship) and assisting them to integrate into society in particular but not exclusively by;
- Providing advocacy services for people who are unable to advocate for themselves because of fear or lack of knowledge or lack of confidence
- Providing training and guidance to develop people’s financial capability
- Helping those who have been isolated from, or who are out of touch with, society to re-adjust and re-integrate by befriending them and re-building their confidence in their local community.
3
The advancement of the Christian faith by evangelistic mission that is carried out on an entirely non-coercive and invitational basis, and in accordance with the ‘Faithworks Charter’ given as appendix 1 of our constitution.