“Deepening” poverty across the UK is making it more difficult for people to break free from debt, Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has warned.
Its new report, Stronger together: 30 years of weaving hope back into lives, reveals the extent of hardship experienced by many households being supported by the charity.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) said they had been unable to afford food during the past year, while over half (52%) had gone without heating in their homes because of financial pressure.
Median total debt among new clients stands at £13,225, with many reporting borrowing money simply to pay for food, clothing, rent or utility bills.
The report states that only 24% of clients now have enough income to repay their debts through standard repayment plans, while two thirds have had to resort to insolvency solutions such as Debt Relief Orders or bankruptcy.
The emotional toll of debt was a major focus of the report. CAP found that 46% of surveyed clients had considered ending their own life because of debt-related pressures - an increase from one in three people in 2014.
In 2014, fewer than a quarter of clients reported mental health difficulties, but by 2025 that figure had risen to 63%, making mental health the most common support issue among clients.
Researchers found that many people delay seeking help for long periods because of shame, fear or hopelessness, while others struggle to engage with online-only services due to disability, poor digital access or digital literacy, trauma or anxiety.
The report says that many families are trapped by rising living costs, insecure work, poor mental health and social isolation.
Disabled people, single parents and those outside paid work remain especially vulnerable.
It states that nearly half of those living in poverty - about 6.8 million people - are now in “very deep poverty”, significantly below the poverty threshold.
Stewart McCulloch, CAP’s chief executive officer, said poverty today is “deeper and more complex” than when the charity first began.
“Rising costs, deepening debt and the associated mental health struggles make breaking free from debt much harder,” he said. “Families are cold and hungry, living in constant anxiety. They need to know they are not alone and help is out there for them.”
The report has been published to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary. Working through local churches, it has helped struggling households deal with more than £500m worth of debt over the past three decades.
It highlights the role churches have played in offering face-to-face debt support, budgeting help, job clubs and community-based care to people facing financial crisis across the UK.
The findings draw on CAP client surveys, debt case management data from thousands of households across the UK, and interviews with staff, volunteers and people with lived experience of poverty and debt.
Since being established in 1996 by John Kirkby following his own experience with debt, CAP says it has supported more than 80,000 people through free debt advice and helped over 35,000 individuals become debt free.
Church teams have also carried out more than 100,000 home visits, while thousands have attended money coaching sessions, life skills groups and employment support programmes.
At St Peter’s Church in Bolton, CAP teams have supported nearly 1,000 households since 2010, with more than 200 individuals successfully clearing their debts.
The report also highlights examples of churches expanding their outreach beyond debt advice alone. Welcome Church in Woking combines CAP services with community cafés, mental health support groups, digital inclusion projects and employment training.
The report argues that face-to-face support delivered through local churches is particularly effective for those who feel isolated or overwhelmed. In-person home visits often allow workers to identify hidden needs such as hunger, lack of heating or emotional distress that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Writing in the report’s foreword, CAP’s Head of Impact Martin Cowles and Head of Strategic and Digital Communications Claire Cowles said: “People facing debt and poverty often tell us they feel out of control. Life is fraying at the edges. Coming apart at the seams.”
They added that meeting people “with warmth, understanding and acceptance stops the unravelling.”
The report includes the story of Sharon, a mother of seven who fell into severe debt after leaving an abusive relationship.
Sharon described reaching a point where she “felt there was no hope” and no way out of her situation before being referred to CAP through her counsellor.
After receiving support from local church volunteers and CAP debt advisers, Sharon eventually became debt free and is now volunteering to help others facing hardship in her community.
“CAP doesn’t just change your debts, it changes you as a person,” Sharon said. “In the past, when I was all on my own, I thought there was never any hope. Now I’m living a brighter, bigger, more colourful life.”
Looking ahead, CAP says it plans to strengthen partnerships with churches, expand services into areas of high deprivation and continue campaigning for changes to wages, debt collection and social security policy.
The charity says its long-term aim remains to see “transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty.”
