Filton Town councillors unanimously agreed to continue funding a Citizen Advice drop-in service following its success since launching in September.
The service provides free and confidential advice with a trained advisor. Residents can attend a session without an appointment to discuss issues such as, but not limited to, benefits, debt, cost-of- living issues, domestic abuse and employment issues.
The resource provided advice to a total of 77 Filton residents, helping them manage a total of 256 separate issues.
The multi-channel advice service can be accessed via face- to-face meetings, telephone, digital advice and web-chat. Between September and December, 35 residents accessed the service by attending the Filton drop-in at FACE.
The report shows that the earlier weeks of the scheme were quiet, but steadily increased throughout the period.
Before launching the Filton sessions, some residents may have had to travel to Yate for face-to-face advice from the charity.
The service has secured financial outcomes for local residents totalling £53,587, an average of £696 for each person they have helped.
It was revealed that 36 per cent of benefit enquiries relate to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a benefit to help unwell and disabled people. The PIP application process is complex,and many people are refused the benefit in the first instance.
Citizen Advice’s success rate at overturning unfair PIP decisions is high, where they acknowledge that without their support, many people may not challenge these benefit decisions.
The data shows that council tax arrears were the most common debt issue for Filton residents throughout the period, followed by energy debts.They also provide housing advice, where the majority of enquiries relate to problems within the private rental sector or housing association properties. Typically, issues related to these categories regard fitness for human habitation, as well as cases of disrepair including mould, damp and condensation.
The sessions take place at FACE, Elm Park every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm.