Organisation name: Torfaen Citizens Advice Bureau
Submitted: 12/12/2009 by johnekillick@googlemail.com
- Organisation core business: Advice and information
- What will the project do?: We have initiated a number of projects over the past few years which has resulted in our present main premises being completely unsuitable for use either by our clients of staff, the latter working in two areas of about 4m square with 6-8 people being in each at any one time. We have two small rooms and a waiting area for clients which seats 6 people so we often have a queue which goes out of the front door and round the corner of the street. This situation is getting worse because, particularly of the number of people who are presently getting into debt or are trying to understand benefit legislation and are new to needing that. Our reserves are ?40k which are only 6 weeks pro rata to our costs. We meet the needs of about 2500 people per year and this number is increasing. Last year we recovered in the region of ?12m either in benefits or in debt recovery work. We also work with people on housing, health and mental health issues, many of which are attributable to other life situations such as debt and redundancy. Would European Convergence be likely to fund the ?20k we need as a one off capital grant to move into the premises which we have found and for which we have an agreement to move in, subject to being able to finance the internal work and furnishing that would be necessary, please?
- Regional area(s) to be covered by the project: South East Wales
- Who will be the end beneficiaries?: Unemployed people, people with health issues, and people with financial troubles
- Who will be involved in delivering the project?: Torfaen CAB will deliver the project. It is in partnership with many others to deliver the direct work but has difficulty, in its present premises, to deliver it in an effective way that benefits its clients and is a reasonable employer to its employees due to its success in growing to develop new work with the most disadvantaged clients.
- What might be the outputs (activity measures) of the project?: An increase in the number of clients seen and hence an increase in the amount ot money that it draws into people living in the borough. Improved health outcomes
- What might be the results of the project?: A move to more appropriate premises for the work undertaken by the bureau. Happier clients A happier workforce, paid and unpaid, who have a better sickness record - the present surroundings are, almost certainly, a causla factor in some staff's poor sickness record
- What would the project's impact be?: The bureau will continue to make its year on year improvement in the satisfaction levels that it reaches (only 4 complaints from over 2500 clients in 2008-9 and high levels of satisfaction recorded). The bureau's new situation is far more visible than the present one, being based in the bus station area so it would become even more well known.
- What is the project estimated cost?: £20,000