“Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” Ecclesiastes 7.12
Sometimes life events happen—family break-down, illness, disability, a new baby, bereavement, losing a job. Many of these could lead to homelessness, followed by addictions, and most likely, money issues, even debt. There are several government and charity organisations dealing with debt and money management. New Kids on the Block, and coming from a biblical perspective, are the people behind Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Ireland.
CAP have recently piloted a new project in early recovery and on a pathway to employment in Tiglin’s Aftercare programme. Its aims are to prepare Tiglin clients to the financial realities of life while in early recovery and on a positive pathway to employment.
To get a feel for the ministry of CAP in action, I visited the Greystones Tiglin Centre a few weeks ago. In the spartan-furnished, lounge-style room sat at the front a large screen presentation. To the side, a flip chart that had been in use earlier. On the white board a list of words in blue felt-tip writing, relating to money and debt. I attended with my journalism diploma student hat on. I wanted to get a feel for the money and debt programme and observe the interactions of the five men, dressed in runners and casual clothing. They were male clients of Tiglin’s half-way house facilitated by a CAP course facilitator. Some spoke with rural accents; others were distinctly Dubs. All were onetime addicts. These men were working through the last of a nine-module series, including videos and worksheets, about handling money well. CAP ran the course, as part of a pilot project to help onetime addicts financially re-integrate successfully back into society.
Money subjects discussed were:
Credit card use and abuse Savings types: essential, optional and peace if mind (pictured above). Debt Special offer / “zero” percent manipulation traps & scams Goals for savings.
One of the CAP videos featured the no-nonsense journalist, Claer Barrett1, who writes for the Financial Times Money Clinic. She spoke about projected spending patterns and the temptation of dopamine online impulse purchasing temptations. One of her suggestions was to keep late-night online purchases in the “basket” and review with questions in the cold light of day, after a good night’s sleep.
Barrett gave an ingenious example of how to plot monthly planned income and outgoing expenditure. She folded and refolded an A4 sheet of plain paper to provide panels, to help chart monthly income and the prioritised outgoings.
Getting back to the client workshop that I was silently observing, the CAP facilitator spoke of his two-year abstinence from online gambling addiction. He gave the warning example of a betting company phoning him and dangling “free” credit to try and lure him back into his corrosive addiction. Had he used the “free” credit and doubled his money, the online gambling platform would not have given him cash to draw down – but merely rolled over credit to continue betting…
Written by Louis Hemmings who’s a journalism student living in Dublin and a CAP supporter. CAP made some suggestions for clarity with the first draft, otherwise this piece is his writing.
“I see myself being able to have a bright future now”
After the session, I shyly approached one of the Aftercare participants, not knowing how my request for an interview would get received. I was keen to know about their experience of the course, and how it helped them. I struck gold and got an interesting interview.
Through years of addiction, the young man said that he had been “disrespectful of money.” Now in recovery, he wanted to reintegrate into society and felt that it would be helpful.
The residential treatment program, run by Tiglin, is nine months long, including reintegration: life skills, training opportunities (including budgeting) and ongoing personal development plans.
“I moved to Greystones at the end of July 2024. I’ve been doing a lot of voluntary work at the Greystones Youth Athletic Club. I’ve also helped at Dublin Christian Mission. It’s something that I have a passion for.”
“I’m also doing work experience in Rise Cafe. But, my plan is to go back to full-time employment when I’m finished in February 2025. The man had neglected his education when in secondary school due to addiction issues. After school it was a job with good money & never going after what he really wanted to do, and never holding down those jobs down because of addiction.
“I’m hopefully going to start a degree. I’m looking to do social work.” He stated that there are four and a half thousand kids homeless that are registered and fourteen thousand adults, also homeless. The interviewee hopes to make some impact on the lives of homeless kids. He said: “It really drives me – to change that, you know?”
He thought the CAP money course was very beneficial. There was much that he had been unconsciously doing all along – but found it good to highlight the money management tips.
“Everybody needs a budget. All the Tigin clients in Greystones are on the Community Employment Scheme. That forces us into a kind of budget mode, which is good. So it’s going to be exciting to see when I’m on like full-time employment money and being able to live off. I’m glad to have the support of a family and want to give back to them slowly, you know. I see myself being able to have a bright future now, thanks to Tiglin, as well.
“When people get into debt, they freeze, they stop opening the post.”
After interviewing that CAP money management course client, I wandered across the room of people socialising in small groups and spoke to Penny Phillips, Trustee / Director and Company Secretary to the Board of CAP. She is confident in all that CAP is doing and spoke enthusiastically and at length in her well-educated accent.
I asked her what does that work involve.
“There’s administrative stuff, helping to get the agenda together, and doing the minutes, the meetings. I make sure we stay on the straight and narrow: abiding by what we should do as a charity – how do we make it work well, where do we go next?”
Penny helped start CAP in Ireland because she and her husband had been involved with the same charity in the UK. Both of them were just blown away by how clever it was, and what a difference it made in people’s lives.
CAP UK has a role in approaching the utility companies where clients had a debt. They pitch a positive process: “Look, our CAP clients owe you a thousand quid, but let’s do as a deal. What are the payments you’ll accept, and what can we do?”
Penny said how debt got handled much differently in Ireland. MABS (The Money Advice and Budgeting Service) handles that financial piece. When the financial crash of 2008 happened, Personal Insolvency Act 2012 bill got passed. Ireland was then ahead of other countries due to the necessity of our national fragile finance scenario.
Returning to the psychology of debt and money challenges, Penny said that when people get into debt, they freeze. They stop opening the post that brings the overdue bills. If you can say to them – “this is the size of the problem, and this is where it’s at” – then MABS can help them get out of their financial problems.
The CAP vision starts within churches, teaching people how to run the money management course. Then churches serve their local communities with those financial foundational tools.
“It’s brilliant for people who are really keen on budgeting – using a helpful tool that works well with them – and sharing that with others,” – she exclaimed with a smile, as we parted ways.
The initial part of the money coaching pilot with Tiglin involved CAP staff taking three Aftercare staff members through induction training, before they delivered their money coaching course to their Aftercare participants. This peer-to-peer element helps participant engagement and these three new Money Coaches were supported by two local church-based Money Coaches, who’d previously received their induction training and one of whom ran a pilot in their local church.
This unique feature also meant that instead of using external trainers, CAP trained three Aftercare staff members to self-deliver their money coaching course. The benefit of this peer-to-peer approach is that trainers really get where their participants are at, even knowing where to “scratch” before the participants “itch”:
“My colleagues and I on the Aftercare staff team hadn’t delivered any kind of budgeting or money management course to our participants but we had a sense they really needed it as part of their recovery and reentering work.
After 4 weeks of induction training with CAP staff we had the basics of delivering our money coaching course to them so we just went for it and I’m glad we did.
It’s helped open up some great conversations with our participants so they see for themselves what’s holding them back and where they need some more help before leaving Aftercare.”
BT one of the Aftercare staff members first trained then delivering their money coaching course.
Following a debrief with the Tiglin Aftercare manager and staff 29Nov24, some of the hard outputs and outcomes as well as key findings from this pilot, are as follows:
- 80% (9 of 11 mostly) Aftercare Participants completed the 4-week money coaching course however doing it again we’d focus on the five core modules delivered over two weekly 2-hour sessions
- Participants achieved an average skill and confidence gain of at least 20% meaning on average Participants moved from one quartile up the next quartile (as measured by base & end-line anonymous surveys)
- Participant attitudes were positively changed from a confused and skeptical monocled emoji (🧐) to a more empowered grinning face and big eyes emoji (😃️) symbolising positive vibes, happy laughter and enthusiasm
- The three Aftercare staff members who trained as Coaches enjoyed the learning experience and especially liked the activities embedded into delivery of the money coaching course
- The three all agreed that they would have benefited from more time to prepare presenting and facilitating each module plus more direct support from the external church-based Coaches who’d previously trained (one had already delivered a pilot course within their local church)
- One unexpected outcome was developing cooking skills so participants could cut costs by not having to eat out most days
- Some type of 1:1 follow up with Participants completing Aftercare would be welcomed by CAP and its local church partners with experienced volunteer Coaches (in addition to the budgeting and money management support the three staff offer as Key Workers)
Louis Hemmings is a journalism diploma student and a CAP supporter. CAP offered some suggestions for clarity with his first draft and wrote the debrief section, otherwise the views expressed are his own.