Service description
Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham deliver fours strands of services:
Generalist Advice & Information (Advice+)
Individual advice, information, financial and digital capability advice
Advice@Foodbank
Volunteers train to advise on money, benefits, budgeting, employment and housing matters, and assess further support needs. An adviser specialising in welfare benefits is based at the foodbank to support volunteers, address underlying issues and tackle food poverty
ROOF+ Project (Housing and Homelessness Prevention)
ROOF+ stands for Renters, Owners, Occupiers & Families; the service informs, educates and advises people on rents rights and responsibilities. It aims to prevent homelessness and runs in partnership with H&F Community Law Centre.
Library Service at Avonmore Library & Neighbourhood Centre
The Avonmore Library and Neighbourhood Centre is run by Citizens Advice H&F as a model of an integrated service, with library clients also receiving advice.
Funding until
31 March 2028
Annual funding level
£539,000
In the past year
24,672 advice issues were addressed
£1.8m in financial gains obtained for service users (benefits awarded, grants and charitable help obtained, debts written off)
Number of residents supported
8417
Use of volunteers
The services' have 75 active volunteers and across 2020 a total of 170 people volunteered a total of 77,500 hours. This is the equivalent to £840,000, if the London Living Wage is applied to the volunteering hours.
Outcomes being achieved
In 2020, the services:
Supported residents towards self-empowerment and independence, helped them exercise their rights and responsibilities, encouraged them to move towards economic independence and employment (Advice +)
Supported service users to gain annual income entitlements and manage debts, reduced food poverty (Advice@Foodbank)
Supported service users in retaining tenancies and negotiating rent arrears payments (ROOF+ Project)
89% service users were happy or very happy with the service received.
87% said they were more aware of their rights and options
68% said they felt more confident to deal with the issue on their own in future or knew where to find support if they needed it.
Funding raised
£384,000 (approximately)
Future plans
Strategic Aims are:
To achieve Excellence – in everything that the organisation does, locally and nationally
To embrace Innovation – to deliver an even more effective and sustainable service
To demonstrate Impact - to show the positive change the organisation makes make socially, economically and to health and well – being