County Voice

Veterans - Advice on Your Doorstep

Citizens Advice We provide a dedicated home visiting advice service to veterans over 70 and their dependants, in Denbighshire. We have a dedicated team comprising of 1 paid adviser and 2 volunteers. Veterans can be referred to us via our extensive network of partner and supporting agencies or self-refer.  Our aim is to ensure veterans incomes are maximised to their full potential and they are in receipt of all eligible benefit entitlement, minimising debt, reducing household expenditure with energy saving efficiency advice.  We also provide guidance on pertinent issues such as wills, lasting and enduring power of attorney, pensions. We identify under-claiming of benefits and credits and support people all the way through the application process, up to and including appeals.  We ensure all clients cases are progressed to the best possible outcome. We advocate and negotiate on any debts clients may have, resolving the debt situation through, insolvency options (Debt Relief Orders / bankruptcy); debt write offs, reduced or negated repayments.  Our energy advice service helps clients to reduce household energy expenditure, apply for grants to improve home energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.  Advice and guidance on age related issues is an equally essential offer, including housing, pensions, nursing care and tax. Clients will directly benefit from the advice and support we will provide.  Our advice will improve health and well-being, financial resilience and help to reduce social isolation. This project localises our service, clients don’t need to come to us, we will go to them.Citizens Advice Armed Forces

Advice Works

This is project is run by Citizens Advice Denbighshire, having secured European funding under the Active Inclusion Fund. Our project is a strand 2 project in which we undertook to provide supported employment to 14 participants who are over 25 years of age; who are from jobless households in Denbighshire; and who are either long term unemployed, or are economically inactive. The participants are offered placements of either 26 weeks or 16 weeks duration.

We have placed some participants externally and some have worked, or are working at our sites. Participants work within supportive environments to develop their skills and confidence. They also receive training to improve their employability and also towards the project’s cross-cutting themes of reducing poverty and social inclusion; promoting equality of opportunity; and encouraging sustainable development. The overriding objective is that 60% of participants will secure longer term employment through their involvement in the “Advice Works” project.

We are now closed to new participants with the project due to end in January 2018. We have engaged 13 participants on the project. Of the 6 participants who have so far completed their engagement 5 have entered into employment and 1 into volunteering.

Citizens Advice European Funding

Taylorfitch. Bringing Newsletters to life