News / New service for less well off
SHETLAND Islands Council is looking for local organisations to help it set up two new services to tackle poverty and social exclusion in the isles.
The council has invited applications to run a financial health service and fuel poverty advice scheme paid for out of a European Social Fund grant.
The aim is to help the likes of the homeless, lone parents and low income household, building on work already being carried out by Citizens Advice Bureau.
The fuel poverty advice service will be designed to give local people greater access to information about how to deal with utility bills.
Any household that spends more than 10 per cent of its income on heating and lighting their home adequately are deemed to be ‘fuel poor’.
It has been reported by the likes of Citizen’s Advice Bureau that up to 43 per cent of Shetland is in fuel poverty.
The financial health service will be designed to give a helping hand to those liable to fall into hardship when it comes to money matters.
SIC policy manager Emma Perring said the organisations who win the 33 month contracts, which start on 1 April, will ideally already have experience of issues affecting Shetland.
“We will be looking to support people who are really quite vulnerable to debt and financial issues,” Perring said.
“The advice service will help them through financial crises and develop their ability to manage their budgets as best they can.”
Regarding fuel poverty, she added: “There’s a huge amount of resources out there through internet sites and national helplines, but for the more vulnerable, it can be quite difficult to make use of that.
“So we want to provide tailored support that links in with national and local agencies and resources that already exist.”
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