Help is at hand for hard-pressed households in the Glenkens as the cost of living crisis bites ever deeper.
Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service is to provide a new outreach service in the area over the next two years.
The timely intervention means people will be able to access general welfare and debt advice on a weekly basis.
It follows a DGCAS consultation which found that many residents locally were unable to get the help they needed.
Cash from the Blackcraig Wind Farm Community Fund, which is administered by Foundation Scotland in partnership with Glenkens and District Trust, has made the initiative possible.
Trust chairperson Fiona Smith said: “We are acutely aware of the demands on organisations and people across our area to address the current cost-of-living crisis.
“We wanted to provide targeted funding to a body who could provide specialist support and advice and were pleased to receive the application from DGCAS with a project to address the issues.
“We look forward to working with DGCAS on this important work.”
DGCAS currently provides a weekly advice service in Castle Douglas – 16 miles away from Dalry and 25 from Carsphairn.
With rising costs of fuel and energy hitting rural areas it was felt many were missing out on the vital service.
The DGCAS survey also found that older people in particular preferred to see someone in person.
Phil Stewart, chief executive of DGCAS, said: “Our objective in growing our service reach into the Glenkens is to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to accessing the advice, support and assistance that they need during these very challenging times.
“We find that living in a rural location often exacerbates the issues people face.
“This valuable piece of funding from Glenkens and District Trust will enable us to deliver a service where and when it is needed to the benefit of the community.”
The face-to-face outreach clinic will run until autumn 2024 at community venues in the Glenkens, providing generalist welfare and debt advice and signposting to other sources of help and support.
Initial fortnightly sessions are scheduled in New Galloway at the CatStrand with additional locations being considered.
