Partnership with Yorkshire Building Society helps over 80 people through cost of living crisis
An innovative partnership between Citizens Advice and Yorkshire Building Society is helping thousands of people nationally through the cost-of-living crisis, and the advice given could have unlocked over £3.2 million in potential additional income.
The partnership in Ipswich sees Yorkshire Building Society branch host Citizens Advice advisers once a week. Over 80 people have been helped since the start of the project in July 2023. Through the partnership members of the public can access an hour-long appointment which is free, confidential and can be booked directly at the branch.
The programme started as a pilot in just 6 branches in 2021 but due to demand, and its initial success, it has since expanded to over 40% of the Society’s branches. The partnership has helped people with a range of different problems, including accessing welfare benefits, debt, housing and legal difficulties.
Gemma Taylor at Yorkshire Building Society said:“Our purpose is to provide real help with real life and that’s exactly what our partnership with Citizens Advice does. We are incredibly proud of the impact that this service has had on thousands of people across the UK in its first three years.
“Through this partnership we’ve helped to make impartial and independent advice from Citizens Advice even more accessible in our communities and it has had a real impact on the lives of thousands of people up and down the UK.”
Nicky Willshere, Chief Officer at <Citizens Advice Ipswich said: “This year we’ve seen many households reach out to us for support for a huge range of issues. That’s why our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society is so important in helping us to increase the support that we can offer to people in need in our local communities.”
For more information on this innovative partnership and details of participating branches please visit www.ybs.co.uk/citizens-advice