Citizens Advice Manchester - No strangers to supporting people in times of national crisis
Citizens Advice Manchester have been helping people to find a way forward for over 80 years and, founded on the eve of World War II, they are no strangers to supporting people in times of national crisis. The Cost of Living Crisis is no different, and they have been hard at work supporting Manchester communities with emergency support as well as longer-term solutions to help them to cope in increasingly difficult times. Between January and March, the number of people they helped to access crisis support such as food bank vouchers more than doubled, and they know that many people are finding it difficult to manage. They have continued to give wraparound support, looking at people's entitlement to welfare benefits, help with money and debt, issues at work and with housing and, importantly at this time, with managing rising energy bills. They do this through a range of telephone and digital services, including video access in communities, and Jess, their Energy Champion, has spent many days out in the heart of communities, helping people to access essential help with their bills.
One person Jess spoke to at an event, Emma*, lives with her four year old and her partner. She suffers from several mental health conditions that mean every day is a battle, and while she was trying her best for her child, she was struggling. Her washing machine had broken a month before, leaving her to pay a family member to do the washing or go to the laundrette, both of which cost money that Emma simply didn’t have. She had been forced to use a food bank for the first time and also couldn’t afford her energy costs, and she felt lost. Jess spoke to her about some energy saving measures she could implement around the house to help bring costs down, as well as getting her signed up to the Priority Services Register meaning she would get extra assistance in the case of a power cut. She also talked to Emma about the option to use community grocers as well to help keep food costs down, and then put her in touch with Citizens Advice Manchester’s advice teams. They were able to talk Emma through some other income maximisation opportunities, and then helped her with accessing a charitable grant to receive a new washing machine. Emma contacted them back to let them know that the application had been successful, and she had a new machine within a matter of days.
She was delighted how quick the process was, and what a difference this would make to her family's life! She will now be able to make sure her child has clean clothes for school and will save money, meaning the household budget will feel more manageable.
*the name has been changed for confidentiality
