Face to face support still prevails in digital age

Providing much-needed advice to vulnerable people still works best face-to-face despite the advancement of technology, according to a charity delivering vital services in one of the country’s most rural areas.

Navigate works across Devon and Somerset to provide specialist one to one support for people experiencing social isolation and financial hardship through their Wis£rmoney Partnership projects. They managed £1.9 million worth of debt for clients in 2022/23 alone.

Roxi Reeder, Partnerships and Social Policy Lead at South West-based charity Navigate, believes no matter how advanced digital services get, a greater impact will always be made through in-person delivery.

Roxi said:

“The majority of our work has to be done face to face. When we’re there in people’s homes and in communities, the complexity of factors contributing to an individual’s circumstances becomes clear and through the collaboration with our wellbeing officers and partner agencies we are able to support clients in dealing with those wider elements affecting their financial stability. When trying to reach potential clients in Mid-Devon particularly, there are three towns acting as community hubs with better transport, social and digital connectivity and access to services but there are huge areas of rurality between those towns which can lead to extreme isolation and a lack of ability to access services.”

With rurality comes the added difficulty of poor to non-existent broadband connectivity and a negative impact from companies and services changing to remote contact only. Some 10.7% of Devon has slow broadband speeds, while the national average is just 1.3%. West Devon and Torridge are in the worst 10% of the entire country for availability and access to suitable broadband.

Roxi added:

“Many people also have an inability to access digital information for a variety of reasons. Many of our clients are unable to monitor bills and debt. They’re unable to register for things if they have no email account – for example we met a client recently unable to register for the Warm Home Discount scheme as he does not have an email address. You have to go in person, to meet local GPs and Social Prescribers, foodbanks and to visit those parish councils to make connections. You can’t just put a poster up and hope that someone will call. It is about building trust. As an organisation we take a whole team approach to building these vital relationships which helps to counter capacity issues and ultimately support our clients in a wholistic way.”

The charity equips individuals and communities with the knowledge, skills and capabilities to overcome their barriers through high-quality, accessible advice services and financial education workshops.

Roxi mentioned:

“If our debt advisors work with clients when they are at crisis point, financial education is at the other end of this spectrum. There’s a need to look at preventative measures across communities so that more individuals and families do not reach crisis point. We run financial literacy workshops and webinars hosted by groups in communities that need them. The duration and content of these is tailored to each group. For example, we run sessions for 16 and overs in schools, within small community groups and with staff working with our client group. We’ll talk with them, play games, explore subjects such as budgeting, benefits and transferrable skills and help them with the things that are most important to them. In fact, we have a whole menu of provision on our website.

Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma around talking about money, even despite the cost-of-living crisis. People still don’t want to talk about it, which is a barrier for them in asking for help, but also a barrier to us finding them to offer our help proactively. It is important to raise awareness with organisations at all levels to encourage conversations about individual’s financially struggling and how to spot the signs. For example, someone might be presenting at their GP with a respiratory problem but if you delve deeper into it, the root problem is because they can’t afford to turn the heating on causing damp and mould.”

The charity prides itself on its compassionate, high-quality and person-centred approach, and Roxi says they wouldn’t have been able to achieve the impact they do without the funding flexibility provided by the Trust.

She added:

“The fact that the British Gas Energy Trust is funding this type of work is really remarkable. They’re as interested in the stories of people being impacted by our support as the statistics we can show. We’re changing people’s lives, and the impact is massive.”

To find money and energy support local to you, please click here.