Community Organiser Job at London Full Time NEW

Debt Justice is recruiting a Community Organiser to take forward our organising and campaign work in East and South London. This role plays a key part in the campaign to end the UK’s household debt crisis.

The UK is in the grip of a household debt crisis, driven by stagnating incomes, cuts to welfare and a cost of living crisis that forces millions of people into debt to pay for essentials. Over 10 million people are overindebted, with energy bills, council tax arrears and credit card debt approaching record highs. In London this problem is particularly acute, more than half of low-income Londoners are grappling with arrears according to Joseph Rowntree Foundation research. Debt also functions as a key driver of racialised health inequality and injustice. Over-indebtedness affects 28% of Londoners of Black African origin, 24% of Black Caribbean origin, and 22% of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin.  

We believe that campaigns to tackle this injustice should be led by people with direct experience of the problem, that’s why we developed a community organising programme as a core part of our household debt work. Our organisers have supported community based campaign groups made up people with lived experience of debt. From Glasgow to Manchester, these groups campaign for policy changes to bring down over-indebtedness and end the stigma and harmful treatment of people experiencing high levels of debt. 

This role will support the development of a new group in South London working with people from global majority communities including black and brown communities – in Lambeth or Southwark, and an existing group in East London based in Tower Hamlets focusing on tackling the rise in council tax debt and bailiff use to collect these debts. 

Reporting into our Lead Organiser, this role will play a key part in our household debt campaign; bringing together people from global majority communities that are disproportionately affected to challenge over-indebtedness and bailiff use at a local level and as part of our national and regional campaigns. You will support participants to demand and win policy change to end the use of bailiffs for council tax debt collection.

We recognise that community organising skills are often developed outside of formal roles. If you have experience in organising, campaigns, activism, mutual aid, or informal leadership in your community, we strongly encourage you to apply – even if you have not held a community organiser job title before. 

We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. This role involves working closely with people affected by debt including black and brown communities. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented in the sector, including black and brown people, women and non-binary people, people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and people who identify as working class or have done in the past.

If you have a question about any aspect of the role, please do get in touch.