Debt Isn't the End of the Story. It's a Set of Numbers That Can Change.
A new VOLONTÉ project helps people in Most and the Mostecko region – including those behind the walls of Bělušice Prison – find a way out of the debt trap.
According to current data from the Czech Enforcement Chamber's Execution Map, Most, a city of nearly 66,000 residents, has more than 9,000 people currently subject to debt enforcement – roughly one in six residents. Behind these figures are not anonymous statistics, but real human stories: a lost job, illness in the family, a loan that spiralled out of control, or old debts growing faster than a person can keep up with repaying them.
It is precisely these people – along with individuals serving prison sentences at Bělušice Prison who have ties to the Most region – that a new project by VOLONTÉ CZECH, o.p.s., called VOL Debt-Free, is designed to help.
Why Most and the Mostecko Region
VOLONTÉ is not starting from scratch here. The organisation has been helping people through its debt counselling centre in Most since 2019, and at Bělušice Prison since as far back as 2017. Over that time, one thing has become clear: the debt trap does not open on its own. People in difficult situations often don't know who to turn to, are afraid to take the first step, or have heard so many times that their case is "hopeless anyway" that they've stopped trying.
The VOL Debt-Free project builds on this experience and expands it into systematic, long-term support – running from March 2026 through June 2028.
What the Project Offers
Debt Counselling Centre in Most
People facing a difficult debt situation in Most and the surrounding area have access to a team of debt counsellors working on a one client, one consistent counsellor basis. This means a client doesn't have to repeat their story to someone new each time, but instead goes through the entire process with someone they already know.
The counselling includes, in particular:
mapping out the debt situation – how much is owed, to whom, and why,
preparing and filing an insolvency petition where appropriate (VOLONTÉ holds its own accreditation, allowing it to draft and file insolvency petitions itself, without the client needing to pay for this service elsewhere),
legal counselling and support in dealing with creditors and enforcement officers (bailiffs),
mediation support for resolving disputes that can be settled out of court.
Debt Counselling Centre at Bělušice Prison
The same professional support – adapted to the specific conditions of imprisonment – is also offered to people serving sentences with ties to the Most region. Addressing debt before release significantly increases the chances that a person will not return, after their release, to the same situation they left behind years earlier.
A Network You Can Rely On
Debt is rarely something that can be solved in isolation from the rest of a person's life – which is why, as part of the project, VOLONTÉ is building and strengthening cooperation with key stakeholders in the region: the City of Most, the Probation and Mediation Service, the Prison Service, the Enforcement Officers' Chamber, and other non-profit organisations. The goal is that a person in a difficult situation shouldn't have to navigate alone who to turn to for what – the network is there to point them in the right direction.
Training for Helping-Profession Workers
The project also considers the people who meet those in debt distress every day – social workers and other professionals in the region. As part of the project, VOLONTÉ is preparing expert lectures and supervision sessions to help them better recognise clients' needs and work with them more effectively.
What Debt Counselling Does Not Promise – and What It Does
It's important to say this openly: a debt counselling centre cannot guarantee that every enforcement action will be stopped, or that every debt-relief petition will be approved by the court. What VOLONTÉ can guarantee is professional support, a clear explanation of the available options, and someone to walk the client through the entire process, step by step – helping them take that first, often hardest, step.
How to Get in Touch
People from Most and the surrounding area can contact the regional debt and legal counsellor directly:
Bc. Jana Solar MáčkováPhone: +420 602 387 335Email: jana.solar.mackova@volonte.cz
General enquiries about the project can also be directed to VOLONTÉ CZECH, o.p.s. head office: phone +420 223 550 060, email info@volonte.cz.
People serving sentences at Bělušice Prison should apply through the prison's social worker.
Anyone who wants to map out their own debt situation in advance can use VOLONTÉ's online tool, www.detente.cz.
The VOL Debt-Free project (reg. no. CZ.03.02.01/00/25_106/0005944) is implemented through the Employment Plus Operational Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
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