CCF Poverty Hurts Appeal: Citizens Advice Cornwall

Since launching the Cost-of-Living Crisis Fund we have awarded more than 50 grants totaling £275,000. The fund has been providing grants to grassroots charities and community organisations who are facing increased demand for their support due to the rising household costs faced by people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Citizens Advice Cornwall (CAC) offers free and confidential advice to people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This can include supporting vulnerable people with debt relief options, benefit applications and looking at employment options. CAC campaigns for change, to make society fairer and improve the policies and principles that affect people’s lives. CAC engages with community groups and organisations to provide education and empower people, therefore preventing problems from arising.

Citizens Advice Cornwall received £2,000 from the CCF Cost of Living fund to train five new advisors to support pensioners in the county who are unaware of the benefits they can claim. CAC currently supports around 2,500 over 60’s each year. Many of those are vulnerable but have also been very independent all their lives and are reluctant to claim or are unaware of the pension credit scheme. CAC are also aware of a significant number of pensioners not claiming pensions and still working full time as the nature of their work (farming and fishing) has not allowed them to save sufficient funds to retire.

The organisation plans to spend the rest of its grant on raising awareness through publicity and roadshows of the help that is available to pensioners, helping them through the cost-of-living crisis.

CCF would not be able to offer funding support to the organisations during the cost-of-living crisis without the support of our generous donors. A special thanks to all who have donated to our Poverty Hurts appeal and to the support from Sedel Collings Foundation, Peter Harrison and Cornwall Council.