The conception of HS4B first came about in November 2009. As a bankrupt, the founder, Ian Lambert, had experienced dissatisfaction and frustration with national and local services being offered to support bankrupt & insolvent people. After further discussion with others having experienced problems post-bankruptcy and finding that they too shared his concerns about the lack of practical support available & the judgements & discriminations bankrupts faced, he felt compelled to do something. After some research he decided to develop an online presence in the form of a website www.hs4b.org as an initial platform from which to develop, offer support and information.

 

There was a great deal of interest from people experiencing bankruptcy and insolvency issues, locally, nationally and, most surprisingly, internationally. The needs of those contacting him were mainly for objective, support and information; something that was not easily accessible to people in a financially restricted situation.

 

It soon became apparent that Weymouth and the surrounding area was a ‘hot spot’ for bankruptcy & insolvency problems and the need for input from professionals and a base from which to work became necessary. Although grant funding was available and had been applied for, the time scale involved in getting funding in place to develop the project further would take potentially many months and a much needed service would not be available. In a ‘leap of faith’, the founder approached a private landlord, local businesses and some local professionals to illicit their support while applying for funding and developing the project further. The response was overwhelming.

 

Since that time, HS4B has opened ‘Phoenix Centre’ based in Weymouth, Dorset (a drop-in centre also serving as a base for 3 trustees, 6 volunteers and 4 professional consultants), has secured a grant from Unltd for £3,000 and has helped more than 20 people with bankruptcy, insolvency and financial hardship issues. The project is still in its infancy and a lot more work is yet to be done. This plan reflects that HS4B is a ‘work-in-progress’ and a project in its early stages of development.

 

At present, we are currently in the process of sorting our legal structure. We have decided to become a CIC (Community Interest Company). More information about this, can be found here.