User:Peter Hitchmough/Working/CAP

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a Christian charitable company in the United Kingdom founded in Bradford, West Yorkshire by John Kirkby in 1996. It is now a national organisation specialising in debt counselling for individuals in financial difficulty, including those in need of bankruptcy or insolvency. The charity is loosely based on Social gospel principles.

The organisation works through a network of regional offices that work in partnership with a local Christian church. Individuals seeking the assistance of the charity give authority to the charity to negotiate with creditors, and the charity will then organise the individual's finances with the objective of making them debt free within 5 years. The caseworker will create a sustainable personal budget for clients, prioritising basic living needs and offering creditors fair, affordable pro-rata payments as far as this is possible.

Recognition
The charity has won a number of awards, including the Charity Times Awards' "Best Charity to Work For" in 2006 and 2007. CAP came top in "the UK's Best Small Company to Work For" in the Sunday Times' Best Companies list on its debut in 2008, and topped the list again in 2009.

Funding
CAP currently receives no government funding, so relies on donations from individuals, churches, charities and trusts. CAP's monthly giving programme is called "Life Changers". CAP also operates a Fair Share scheme, whereby banks and other financial organisations donate to CAP 10% of the value of repayments made to them by CAP clients. These donations are made with no strings attached.

History
CAP was started in 1996