British Gas Energy Trust roundtable- Disadvantaged Communities

Taking a holistic approach to solving problems rather than focusing on the presenting issue is key to making an impact in disadvantaged communities, according to one charity.

Citizens Advice Sunderland say their team will always look beyond the initial problem to delve deeper to find out if there are any underlying causes of people’s issues.

And the charity says the importance of offering a holistic service is heightened in disadvantaged areas, where many people are impacted by similar issues.

In September, the issues surrounding disadvantaged communities will be topics of conversation at British Gas Energy Trust’s latest roundtable event, organised to commemorate the charity funder’s 20th anniversary.

Over two decades the Trust has been supporting people in or at risk of fuel poverty with community-based money and energy advice and guidance, energy debt grants and emergency fuel vouchers, and other much needed support.

In 2024, it has organised a series of roundtables across the country looking at ‘alleviating the detrimental impact of fuel poverty: what works, what happens next’.

Michelle Graham, Money Advice Caseworker at Citizens Advice Sunderland, said the cost-of-living crisis and changes to the winter fuel allowance will be hot on the agenda at the roundtable.

Michelle said:

“Most of our clients are in receipt of benefits or on low incomes, and we’re seeing a lot of people with health issues – both mental and physical, with a lot of people requiring carers – so we have quite a lot of deprived communities in our area.

“We don’t see a lot of people under the age of 20, and we don’t currently see many older people – but we see a lot of people who fall in the middle.

“With the changes to winter fuel payments, that’s where we might see more older people coming in to see us. They may have been eligible for the payments before, but now they might not be.”

Michelle also outlined the current demand for fuel vouchers – even when the sun is shining, adding:

“Even in the summer, there’s a real demand for food and fuel vouchers.

“But when people come to us, it’s important we don’t just look at the presenting issue. Our support is holistic, so we always look at energy advice, debt assessments, benefits checks and even looking at their EPCs (energy performance certificates) to see if there’s any way we can make things better for them.

“It’s also key we get them to look at things like budget sheets to help them get a grasp on their expenditure.

“We’ve seen a rise in foodbank use over the last few years. We’re lucky that we’re in the same building as one, but we can also refer into The Trussell Trust too.”

Denise Irving, Manager at the charity, said that mental health is also playing a huge part in people’s living situations in disadvantaged communities.

She said:

“It’s well documented that poverty can be both a cause and consequence of mental health problems and the stigma of debt and poverty adds to the unbearable stress and pressure of struggling to survive on a low income particularly when we see every day costs keep going up.  This often leads to people shutting down, refusing to open letters and burying their heads until a crisis forces them to seek help from support agencies like ourselves.  

“People are afraid of being judged or looked down on or forced into action they’re uncomfortable with and that often stops them taking that first step.”

To find out more about the Trusts roundtables, please click here.