As the festivities of Christmas take hold for another year, the dedicated team at a Stirling advice charity is preparing for another surge of demand for help.
The impact of the cost of living crisis as well as stresses over surging energy bills have created an unwanted perfect storm of pressure on household budgets, with more people looking to support services to keep the lights on and food on the table.
It’s where organisations like Stirling Citizens Advice Bureau come in, offering a range of advice services and projects ranging from help with energy costs and fuel poverty to redundancy and debt.
CAB also runs projects tackling rural isolation and an advice outreach programme across several libraries including Killin, Callander, Balfron and Cowie to ensure that no one across Stirling is left without
somewhere to go if they require much-needed help.
The charity’s CEO, Craig Anderson, says Christmas provides a chance for those living on the breadline some respite and the chance to hopefully enjoy some positive times with family away from the stresses of the cost of living crisis.
But he warns it is likely to be a temporary reprieve, with enquiries surging by more than 300 per cent in some areas.
Mr Anderson said: “Traditionally, the people reaching out for advice from ourselves tends to slow down a bit at this time of year as people focus on having the best Christmas they can for their budget.
“It’s maybe a bit of a perception blackspot for a few days and people will incur costs and expenditure that they wouldn’t normally to
have the best family Christmas they can.
“I think they deserve the right to a little bit of festive joy because it’s been a miserable year for most people.
“For ourselves, it’s been pedal to the metal for quite some time - one of the key challenges has been as a volunteer-led organisation that the pandemic decimated a lot of those roles; we had to recruit and refresh our entire front line but we’re getting there.
“We’re probably at around 60 per cent of the number of advisors we had pre-pandemic but the challenge is that demand has trebled, in fuel poverty for example, the enquiries have gone up by 335 per cent.”
The charity is now offering advice to around 8,000 people across Stirling, with the stresses on household budgets meaning that more people are coming through the doors looking for help.
One of the items set to be launched in 2023 by Stirling CAB to help with that process is a ‘cost of living survival guide’ - and Mr Anderson is urging people not to feel embarrassed about the need to reach out for support and access services if they are feeling the pinch.
He added: “We’re seeing those people who were maybe just about coping on dual incomes suddenly feeling the impact of low wages and inflationary pressures which tips them into not coping and having to reach out.
“A lot of them are ignorant about their rights because they have
never had to think that way before so we’re supporting a new volume of clients who need advice and support, as well as continuing to help those that always needed assistance from ourselves.
“There is also set to be significant uncertainty post April on basic utility costs and we don’t know help will be available over the spiralling gas and electricity costs at this point.
“My advice for people is to seek advice and support early; don’t be embarrassed to come to ourselves, foodbanks, churches and
warm banks and not to be worried to ask for help.”
