Pretty much everyone on the planet is aware of the current state of the economy. This recession has hit a lot of people hard. Many are now out of work, some have lost their homes. Worse, they have lost hope. Despair is at an all-time high. People need comfort, advice and a place to safely release their frustration and anger. That need is being responded to by newly founded IamVeryBroke.com.

Before I go any further, I just want to point out that I am not being paid for this solicitation, nor has President and Owner, Dominic Clarke asked me to do this hub. In fact, he won't know about it until after I send him the link.

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Clarke, who explained his goals of helping people and giving them a place to turn when they are in crisis. According to a study done by a researcher out of the University of Buffalo, suicides increase by two or three times the normal rate when the country is in a recession. It is Mr. Clarke's great hope that through IamVeryBroke.com resources, at least some of the suicides and abuse stemming from financial pressures can be lessened.

How could I not support such a worthy cause? I believe in Mr. Clarke's vision and purpose, and happily recommend that you avail yourself of his site. If you know of anyone in need of this tremendous service, please let them know about it. It may make all the difference in the world to someone suffering financial stress.

Okay, I've gotten that out of the way, now on to the details of this free financial help.

I'll break down the free social networking services and give you a bit of information on each one.

Stories - this is the place for people to share their personal stories, comment on other people's stories, or just read what is already there. There are 29 categories to choose from, such as those involving a spouse, broken friendships, addiction, payday loans, bills, depression and suicidal thoughts. If there is a place to let folks know that they are not alone, this is it.

In the Stories section, there are subsections to access, including friends, acquaintenances, videos, photos, music and your email inbox.

Forums - as with a lot of sites these days, and certainly a lot of the free social network places online, IamVeryBroke.com has a forum for registered users to gather and communicate.

Groups - users can join groups and their are quite a few categories to choose from business to travel to money and everything in between. You also have the option of creating a new group. As with the Stories section, the subsection is accessible here, too.

Make Money - as I am not a registered user, I'm afraid that I can't enlighten you on this one. If you are and can share some information, please leave a comment.

Voicemail Vent Line - I think this is so cool. When a person is stressed out, they can call the vent line and leave a message. In this way, someone who is upset can release some of their problem in a way that causes no harm.

At the moment, commiseration and advice will be shared between site members. IamVeryBroke.com has a five star rating process to highlight the 'go to' people. The members who get the top 15% of ratings are shown on the site. The tally is consistently updated and reliable.

Furture plans may include advisors from financial, mental health and addiction councelling fields. Meantime, site members are connecting in a real way with others who've been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.

Personally, I'm especially impressed with the IamVeryBroke vent line. In a nutshell, if you need to get something off your chest, this is the place to do it. You can let off steam without hurting anyone. I believe that it is a good resource for letting go of some of the anger and despair rather than keeping them bottled up inside and letting them reach dangerous levels.

Above all, IamVeryBroke impresses upon you that you are not alone. There is free financial help and emotional support readily available to anyone who will just reach out and accept it.

If you need help, please seek it immediately. Do not wait. Go to IamVeryBroke.com, call a helpline or your doctor, do something.

Relieve the tremendous stress that you're under and avoid the potential for violence, abusive behavior, addiction or thoughts of suicide. None of those things are worth the outcome and they are unnecessary. There is free financial help available to you.

Life will be good again. Just take the first step.