Jonathan Lees, a debt adviser with the charity, said its frontline workers who took up to 80 calls a day were increasingly encountering people in acute distress.
“We’re seeing a lot more council tax debt, utilities debt and rent arrears,” he said.
“People simply do not have the money for what we would consider essential costs.”
He said some clients were left with only £200 a month after paying rent, leaving little for food, transport or social contact.
“Things we consider part of a normal decent life, like going out with friends for a coffee, they simply cannot afford,” he said.
Lees said even debt advisers could feel powerless in the face of rising costs like fuel and shrinking budgets, with more and more people at risk of defaulting even…