Citizens Advice may get £7,000 extra from the council lottery to keep running. They face a £150,000 shortfall.
The council might give them £7,000 extra next year. This is on top of the £45,000 they already get. Other groups also fund Citizens Advice, for example Macmillan and Trussell Trust.
Citizens Advice may have a £150,000 shortfall. This means they must find this amount to manage; otherwise, they won’t be able to continue next year.
In six months, they helped 3,159 people. Volunteers and staff tackled over 11,000 issues, a big increase from last year. Welfare benefits are the most common problem.
They have offices in Barnstaple and other towns. They help at the food bank and hospital too. More people struggle with energy costs now, and homelessness is also on the rise.
The charity thinks their work generates £5 million, going to North Devon families this year. They had savings but used them to aid more people. They want more grants and volunteers. They now have 80 volunteers, up from 36. Their target is 100 volunteers total, and they are working with a college to get young people to help.
The council runs a lottery to raise money. They want to support the groups taking part. Age Concern might also get £2,000 from the council. A council member thinks more funding is important. He feels this helps many people facing hardship.