A North Yorkshire charity is helping vulnerable Ukrainian residents access vital energy and welfare support through its partnership work.

Part-funded by British Gas Energy Trust, North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre runs monthly outreach sessions at The Salvation Army’s Sunflower Café in Scarborough.

The service provides in-person advice on issues including energy debt, bills, benefits, housing, employment and immigration. Advisers regularly attend the café to offer practical support and help people access specialist services before problems escalate into crisis situations.

The outreach work has become particularly valuable for Ukrainian families who have arrived in the UK through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, many of whom face language barriers and uncertainty about navigating complex systems and services. However, the support is open to the wider community, with local residents and Salvation Army parishioners also attending the café each week.

Jake Brown, Energy Project Manager at North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre, said: “Our presence at Sunflower Café means people can receive in-person energy advice, or they can be referred through to our team for more in-depth support.

If someone we speak to needs specialist advice about something other than energy, they can be referred into our specialist services or signposted to the relevant local organisations who can help. It also allows us to identify vulnerabilities early, prevent crises, and ensure people are not left struggling alone.

“Many attendees are dealing with trauma, language barriers, and uncertainty about their future in the UK. Having Citizens Advice present in a familiar, informal setting makes it much easier for people to approach us, ask questions, and get help without the anxiety of booking appointments or navigating formal systems.

“The café itself plays a crucial role. It is run with warmth and compassion, offering food, conversation, and a sense of community. This environment helps people feel safe enough to talk about difficult issues – whether that’s debt, immigration status, or problems with landlords, housing or employers. For many, it is the only place where they feel comfortable asking for help.”

The service is helping people like Olena* who needed help with a wide range of advice issues that were causing her difficulty. Olena came to the UK on her own through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, but because of her limited English, she had found it difficult to get settled in a new country and in her new home. Olena needed help speaking to her energy supplier to sort out a bill that she had received, and she also needed help with her benefits.

The Citizens Advice advisor spoke to Olena at the Sunflower Café in Ukrainian, which helped her to explain the issues that she was facing. The advisor provided some simple advice in the first instance before following up on issues that required more time.

Olena was provided with fuel vouchers to top up her energy meter, supported to address inaccurate bills, and was helped to sign up for the priority services register. The support received meant Olena could clear her energy debt of £200 and save around £351 a month on her energy bills. In addition, Olena’s benefit entitlement was increased by £800 per month after acting on advice.

Gillian Grimes, Director of Operations at North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre, said: “There is so much information online that many people struggle to know what advice they can trust. By being present in a familiar community setting like the Sunflower Café, we can offer confidential, independent support that is tailored to people’s individual circumstances. People know us as a trusted organisation. There’s no bias and everything is confidential.

“Having an advisor who can speak Ukrainian and Russian has been invaluable in helping people feel comfortable seeking support. Thanks to funding through the British Gas Energy Trust, we are also able to provide specialist energy debt advice at a time when energy debt is becoming one of the biggest financial issues facing households across the country.”

*name changed to protect identity