Housing charity offers Shropshire residents help with cost of Christmas
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As the festive season approaches, a Shropshire housing advice and support organisation is encouraging communities to find out about financial help available to cope with the cost of Christmas.
The Shropshire Housing Alliance (SHA), which helps people in housing need across the county, hosts a fortnightly drop-in session at its Market Drayton office every other Wednesday morning, where residents can find out about low-cost loan options and savings plans that can help spread the yuletide expense.
Through a partnership with community savings and loan provider, Just Credit Union, SHA help to promote the products on offer that could help lessen the pinch at this time of year. New members joining Just Credit now may also qualify for a £25 bonus for saving as little as £10, thanks to charitable funding from the Loan Shark Team (IMLT)!
Deb Morrison, Financial Inclusion Manager at SHA, said: “As Christmas draws closer, we often hear how worried people are about the extra expense this involves.
“We know that some of our customers have resorted to payday loans in the past, which can carry incredibly high interest rates. The debts these create can leave people in a real financial mess, sometimes even putting their homes at risk.
“Just Credit Union can offer a lifeline to anyone who needs a short-term boost. They offer a wide range of products, with small loans available from £50, and will make sure the repayment terms are manageable.
“And with many local residents moving onto monthly Universal Credit, having some savings or access to a low-cost loan can really help with the transition. Christmas time is the next big event that can cause people real money worries and we want to promote the benefits of using an ethical lender.”
Just Credit Union is a member organisation open to anyone who lives or works in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin area. Their recent excellent performance reports they now have over 3,200 members, and over the last year, provided 2,746 loans to local people totalling more than £1.5million.
Karen Farrow, Chief Officer at Just Credit Union said: “There is still a lack of understanding of what credit unions are, and what we can offer. The outreach sessions we hold in Market Drayton as part of our partnership with SHA are really helpful; enabling us to share the benefits of saving or borrowing with us.
“We’d encourage anyone worried about affording Christmas to drop-in to one of our many local sessions across the county. You can find more details on our website www.justcreditunion.org or just give us a call on 01743 252325.”
Photo below shows L to R: Deb Morrison, Financial Inclusion Manager from the Shropshire Housing Alliance and Steve Barras, Business Development & Marketing Manager at Just Credit Union.
12th October 2018