A charity in Suffolk says the sector is struggling and has growing concerns over the lack of funding

The Charity Citizens Advice in Suffolk says they're becoming overwhelmed with the amount of people coming to them for help.

The charity are able to provide support and advice for people

The Chief Executive Officer there, Chiara Saunders told us they are seeing more and moe people using their services, whether it's walking into their offices or calling. for advice.

She commented that this increased demand "Reflects on the fact that people are struggling with financial hardship."

Many of the people who visit Citizens Advice are "in-work poverty." What Chiara means by this is that they are "in a job that doesn't pay that well. It's not enough to entitle them to benefits but it makes them struggle to pay the rent."

She also believes the grants and funding that have been cut are contributing to their high demand, explaining that after COVID-19 there was money that came to help people with financial hardship but that "in the last budget statement, there was no mention that the hardship funding from the government.... beyond March 2024. "

This money "feeds down into the county councils" and can benefit local charities such as Citizens Advice, all of this is contributing to what Chiara called "a perfect storm."

Because of the issues with funding for many charities in Suffolk, Chiara worries that some charities are " going to have to make some very hard decisions around the services they provide going forward."

For many charities, their funding is provided for 6 months at a time, so it is difficult for them to predict what they will have available and where they should focus this funding.

Despite their challenges Chiara is encouraging anyone who is struggling to seek out help.

"We don't want to see people struggling to feed themselves and feed their children."

One thing they focus on when people go to them for help is ensuring they are receiving "what they are entitled to." through "income maximisation - making sure that you are getting the most income, that you're entitled to and that also that you're you're paying the least you can for services."