At Turn2us, we have recently conducted research which shows that advisers who support those in financial need are struggling to keep up with the ever increasing demand for help.
Of the advisers that we surveyed, 85% reported an increase in the number of people coming to them in financial difficulty in the last six months, and the vast majority expect to see a further rise in the six months to come.
Redundancies are seen to be the main reason for the increase, with 90% of advisers stating that job losses have caused their client levels to grow.
Worryingly, almost a third (32%) of advisers said they are unable to assist all the people who approach them. The main reasons behind this seem to be a shortage of staff and lack of awareness of the range of support that is available – particularly in terms of which grants may be available from charities and how to access them.
Pressured advisers are having to rely on multiple sources to figure out what support each individual could be entitled to. Over a third said they have to rely on word of mouth to know which charities might be able to assist their clients.
These findings are extremely worrying. The reality is that the support does exist – thousands of grant-giving charities are there to help people in a huge range of circumstances.
Our previous research has shown that independent advice agencies are the most popular route people use to seek information on sources of money. As the level of need continues to rise in the current climate, it is crucial that we support these advisers and speed up the process for checking entitlement to both charitable grants and welfare benefits. Otherwise, people will fall through the gaps.
In response to this growing problem, we’ve created www.turn2us.org.uk, a free, impartial online service that provides all the information in one place, giving advisers instant, accurate information and access to all the forms of support available for those who come to them.
To ensure that people in financial need are helped as effectively as possible, we are urging advice and support services to sign up to use the free Turn2us online service and to signpost it to anyone they come across experiencing money problems.