Focus on community works for Midlands charity

Attending local community events is important to educate people about energy, according to one Midlands charity.

Citizens Advice Sandwell and Walsall work extensively with Smethwick Foodbank, holding a pop-up event there every fortnight to build a long-standing relationship with them and the local community.

The charity sends friendly advisors to the event armed with quick tips and advice as well as the ability to refer more complex issues back to the team for a more in-depth and holistic support service.

Emma Ayers, Energy Project Manager at Citizens Advice Sandwell and Walsall, said:

“We’ve been running these pop-ups for at least the last couple of years, and they work really well. Citizens Advice aims to provide holistic support, so although people are approaching us with an energy related issue, we can provide that all-encompassing service to support people with other things.”

“We find that if they’re struggling with energy, for example, they’re also likely to be struggling with debt or housing issues too.

“We always try and send the same advisers at selected pop-ups so people can get used to a friendly face out in the community.”

“We aim to continue to educate our community about their energy usage as well as supporting those who continue to face fuel poverty.”

In the last 12 months, the Citizens Advice Sandwell and Walsall energy projects team have supported more than a thousand clients with over 6,500 issues, helping them to achieve more than £750,000 in financial gains – an average of £771 per person.

Clients include people like Mark*, who presented with energy and water arrears totalling more than £2,000. Suffering from back problems, Mark was unable to work and was struggling to clear his debts. He was supported by the Sandwell and Walsall team to apply for an energy trust fund, advised about energy usage tips that could save him £765 a year and supported with a series of food vouchers. Additionally, by working with SSW Charitable Trust, the team was able to write off most of his energy debts.

The charity also works extensively with local organisations like community centres, schools, nurseries etc. Last year, the charity also received a grant from supermarket chain Morrisons, allowing them to provide a hundred much-needed packs of energy-efficient items to support their most vulnerable clients during the colder months. Items included energy-efficient lightbulbs, radiator foils, heated blankets and thermal socks as well as leaflets packed full of energy advice.

As a result of the funding, it was also able to provide an extra 50 fuel vouchers – which Emma says are becoming increasingly in demand.

Emma added:

“The packs were very popular and news of them spread through the community very quickly! It’s great to know that the awareness of our support increased but people are still struggling. Every month last year, the demand for energy vouchers was three times higher than the previous year.”

“There’s a definite issue with people’s bills – in particular, estimated readings. People are paying more than they need to because they don’t know how to read their meters or are still receiving estimated bills from their energy providers. Additionally, we have an ongoing issue with people on pre-payment metres receiving fuel voucher top-ups which are simply just paying off debts rather than helping them to heat their homes, which is what they are intended for.

“We’ve noticed that people are needing our help more now the government support has stopped – even in the summer months, people are unfortunately still struggling.

“That’s why our service is probably more important than ever. We aim to continue supporting our community, which we couldn’t do without ongoing funding and the generosity shown from British Gas Energy Trust.”

*name changed to protect identity

To see what energy debt grants are currently available, please click here.