15/08/2024
Grant keeps debt relief service alive in south Suffolk amid rising demand
Staff members from Samphire housing association met colleagues from Sudbury and South Suffolk Citizens Advice. Pictured from left, Angela Verghese, Frances Korabik, John Hughes, Helen Arbon, Jess Mason, and from Samphire: senior rent officer Laura Earle, rent officers Peter Grace and Alexis Aaron, Citizens Advice branch chief officer Colleen Sweeney and Samphire housing manager Charlotte Lawrence.
Help is at hand for people facing money troubles across south Suffolk thanks to a new partnership.
Sudbury and South Suffolk Citizens Advice is able to continue employing a specialist debt relief officer following a £28,190 grant from housing association Samphire Homes, the landlord for thousands of social rent homes across the area.
Colleen Sweeney, chief officer of the branch located in Acton Lane, Sudbury, said the grant, which runs until April, had been a lifeline.
She said: “If we hadn’t received this funding we may not have been able to continue the service, and that would be to the detriment of the community. Citizens Advice is a charity, and we would disappear if we weren’t able to balance the books. That’s why it’s fantastic to have this opportunity to work with Samphire.”
The funding is part of ongoing partnership between Samphire and Citizens Advice, which has included meetings where team members have discussed how to best to help tenants and the wider community.
Mrs Sweeney said more people than ever before were coming to Citizens Advice for help – making their debt relief service, which was also funded by the National Lottery, so important.
She said: “The demand for all our services, in particular help with debt and benefits, has increased dramatically over the past few years as a result of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.
“The opportunity to have a closer relationship with Samphire means we can focus more on prevention, rather than reacting.”
Marie-Claire Delbrouque, Samphire’s managing director, said: “We’re committed to supporting our tenants and the wider community, especially during these challenging times. Partnering with Citizens Advice is one of the ways we can make a real difference.
“We’re proud to contribute to their work and we look forward to hearing more about the positive impact the partnership will have.”
Samphire is part of Flagship Group, which provides over 32,000 homes to more than 76,000 tenants across the east of England.
Samphire can be contacted by phone 0808 169 9301, email info@samphire-homes.co.uk or live chat, visit www.samphire-homes.co.uk/about-us/contact-us.
Sudbury and South Suffolk Citizens Advice can be reached on 01787 321400 or online at www.sudburycab.org.uk/contact.
Marie-Claire Delbrouque, Samphire Homes managing director