Support for marginalised communities in Kent

A charity in the South East is supporting people in the often-marginalised Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in their area.

Citizens Advice Swale provides independent advice and guidance to people facing hardship in Kent.

The team has recently launched a new project to support the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in Swale where energy issues run deep, with many people restricted to certain providers.

Jude Lee, Chief Officer at Citizens Advice Swale, said: “Part of the work we do is addressing social inequalities – like lack of access to healthcare or educational outcomes – and looking at groups that may be open to discrimination.

“In Kent, we have a high proportion of people from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. Around 25% of those living in England are doing so in Kent. We have a site through Kent County Council and there’s a neighbouring one in Canterbury, which isn’t far.

“We applied to the National Lottery, through their Reaching Communities Fund, to fund an outreach service that’s allowed us to access and support these types of communities.

“Through our research, we can see problems that Traveller communities face – like postmen sometimes not delivering mail there, or issues with utility providers not going onto site to check the meters. There’s still a lot of discrimination around that seems to go unchecked.

Charlotte Frost, Advice Services Manager at Citizens Advice Swale, said: “It’s important to educate yourself of their way of life before you go, ensuring that they’re aware that you are a confidential service, that you’re non-judgmental and that you’re there to support them.

“Some of the community may have struggled to access services before, some of the cases may be more complex and need more appointments to get to the bottom of their issues.

“But I think it’s gone down really well so far. We’ve resolved issues for some clients, and I think we’ve built up trust as well.”

Jude added: “It ties in so well with our British Gas Energy Trust work because energy is such a big issue for people living on large sites like this where people are restricted in terms of the supply they can have.

“We’ve had people who have had extraordinarily high bills because accommodation hasn’t been properly metered. We managed to get a boiler for someone with severe health conditions who was living in a caravan. It’s been a really beneficial service so far.”

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