"I think the term 'crisis' is entirely appropriate" - Fears that cost of living crunch is only going to get worse in Calderdale

Noah's Ark, who provide counselling and financial advice, say they have received 56 referrals for their debt advice service in the past two weeks, whereas last year, the average was 50 per month.

They also say they have completed 133 insolvencies in the last four months, compared to 181 in the whole of 2020.

Their food parcel activity is also 100 per cent higher than it was before November last year, while their 'Budget like a boss' courses have long waiting lists of people needing help with their finances.

Andrew Sykes, from Noah's Ark, on Ovenden Road, said: "There is most definitely an issue at the moment and the effects of this haven’t properly kicked in yet.

"I think the term ‘crisis’ is entirely appropriate.

"There is a very real impact at the moment on people’s mental health. Every client we see is reporting stress, anxiety, sleeplessness and depression. Sadly a significant number are telling us they feel suicidal. There’s an awful lot of fear out there at the moment."

Noah's Ark offer help for people to become debt free by providing them with temporary support around food and bills, show people how to manage their money and help them to find work.

"The advice we give to our clients is that lots of little steps will make a bigger difference," Andrew said.

"Start by making sure your income is maximised. Are you getting everything you’re entitled to?

"You’d be amazed at how many people on Universal Credit don’t get council tax reduction. For a single person that can be as much as £770 per annum.

"And how many don’t know about rent top ups through the discretionary housing payment fund. The average we see is around £50 per month.

"Day after day we see clients on Universal Credit losing 25 per cent of their benefit in forced debt repayments. That’s £81 per month. We can stop this.

"Things like second hand washing machine rentals - these are costing £25-£30 per month. You can buy a brand new one for £180! There are sometimes grants available to buy one.

"Look at any unsecured personal loans you have: if your choice is to pay your council tax or pay the loan, pay the council tax not the loan.

"And get debt advice.

"Come on one of our budgeting courses, which are run in conjunction with Calderdale Adult Learning. We have two: 'Budget like a boss' and 'Cook on a budget like a boss'.

"Both are very much centred around effective budgeting skills, with the cooking one focusing a little more on things like food waste, where to shop, meal planning and simple family meals."

But Andrew is also warning that a secondary crisis is looming around funding for advice services like Noah's Ark and Citizens Advice Calderdale.

"We are the only two authorised providers of face to face debt advice in Calderdale," he said.

"Make no mistake, Calderdale needs face to face debt advice.

"Funding for our service ends in the summer and CAC lose theirs even sooner.

"There is the potential here for a perfect storm: a deluge of residents needing our help but we’re no longer here. I can’t stress enough how worrying that is for me."

The Step Change debt charity agree that the cost of living crisis is only going to get worse.

In a statement, they said: “Around one in four StepChange clients were already in arrears on their electricity or gas bills even before the recent price rises.

"Even with the support measures announced, the combined cost of living pressures mean that around two in five people who are turning to us for help won’t have enough income to meet their essential costs, let alone money to put towards repaying their debts.

"This pressure will continue to build over the coming months, and we think it’s very likely that the Government will need to provide additional support measures for the hardest hit households if we are to avoid an increase in households facing increasing debt and poverty.”

Contact Noah's Ark by calling 01422 364664 or visiting them at 322-326 Ovenden Rd, Halifax, HX3 5TJ.