She could feel her fingers begin to freeze as she sat there trying to fill out forms in a living room which clearly hadn’t been heated for some time.  There was no carpet on the floor, no food in the fridge, no hope in the face of the woman sitting opposite her…

Jacqui Robb knew this lady - they both went to the same church - but she could never have known that this was how she was living.  It was Jacqui’s first experience as a volunteer for Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in Northern Ireland.

CAP have seven centres which all operate out of churches in Northern Ireland and have a waiting list of clients backed up to September.  They have gained at least one new client every week since they began their work here in November 2009.

“Debt is a major and growing problem in our society,” explains Jacqui.  “There is so much despair out there.  We try to give people hope when they’re hopeless.

“One client I had was 22 years old and had so much debt that on paper it would take her 145 years to clear it.  We have to educate our young people about credit card debt or else CAP will be helping a lot more people.”

The process begins with a simple phone call to a CAP office, then support workers visit the person who’s struggling with debt, make phone calls for them, ward off circling credit card companies and arrange a personal budget for them.  They’re also able to buy groceries for the client and take them out for coffee.

“Many people who are in debt can get depressed and to expect them to fill in forms is like expecting them to climb Everest,” explains Jacqui.

“The most common thing I hear is people saying that they just don’t leave the house anymore.  They’re being robbed of every last shred of hope and we get the chance to help them and pray with them.”

For Jacqui it’s that opportunity to share in people’s lives which is the most rewarding: “To see peoples’ lives changed in such a short time - even after 8 weeks often a new person can emerge.”  And that was how it was for her very first client in that freezing cold carpet-less house.  Her life’s been transformed, along with her circumstances.  She now wants to become a CAP volunteer and pass hope on…