Advice in Community Settings grant programme

The Advice in Community Settings programme funded the following partnerships across London. The lead partners participating in the programme are:

• Citizens Advice Barking and Dagenham, leading a partnership between the local authority, borough voluntary and community sector (VCS) network and social sector network, and food bank network to address fragmentation in the advice sector locally.

• Community Links, leading a partnership between five advice providers (some general, some specialist) with support from Newham Council, delivering in food banks, community centres and schools. The partnership focuses on residents in low-paid and insecure work, and the refugee and migrant population.

• Ealing Mencap, leading a partnership of advice service seeking to connect digitally-excluded residents, residents with learning disabilities or English as a second or other language with training to access online social welfare platforms, entitlements and support services.

• Rooted Finance, leading a pan-London partnership with Money A&E which embeds welfare and debt advice and financial education in different locations supporting Londoners from a range of Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

• H 4 All, a partnership of health and wellbeing charities, is managing a new partnership between local Citizens Advice, local charities and Deaf and Disabled People’s organisations to deliver advice in food banks and Special Educational Needs schools.

• Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Association (IRMO), a partnership between three community anchor institutions in south London has expanded to deliver advice in new locations. The partnership focuses on lone parents, Latin American communities, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities and over-50s.

• Little Village, a pan-London baby bank service, leading a partnership with the Money and Pensions Service and other advice providers to deliver triage, signposting and advice to low-income families with children under five.

• Peabody Community Foundation, leading a hyperlocal partnership linking existing social prescribing infrastructure with up to eight schools in the Moorings in Thamesmead, Greenwich.

• Salusbury World Refugee Centre, leading a Brent-based partnership to expand to include three ages 0 to 18 family and children's centres. The partnership focuses on Londoners who are refugees, migrants or seeking asylum.

• Citizens Advice Waltham Forest, leading a partnership with fuel poverty, youth and food charities and children and family settings to offer training to frontline staff in community settings.

Sara* had an accident at work seven years ago. This left her with ongoing health issues affecting her hands, which prevents her from working. Prompted by her local job centre, she applied for a Personal Independence Payment, but her application was unsuccessful three times. As a result, Sara found herself in financial hardship and struggled to pay her bills and to afford food.

Sara visited a food bank, where she met an advice worker who took on her case. The advice worker explained that he could help her with her application for a Personal Independence Payment, and improve her housing situation by helping her apply for council housing. Her advice workers’ openness made her feel comfortable, and together they were able to successfully apply for a Personal Independence Payment and get her on a waiting list for council housing.

Sara can now cover her utility bills and food expenses consistently. Her housing situation is not yet fully resolved, but she is on the waiting list for council housing.

*Names have been changed.