Citizens Advice SORT reports 41% increase in demand over pandemic

The Citizens Advice SORT group, covering Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford, reported that it supported a record 45,000 clients over the phone since the start of the pandemic, a 41% increase on the previous year.

The organisation’s 80 staff and 77 volunteers, who have been working from home to make sure people can still access much-needed help have also seen a 64% increase in the number of people accessing support via webchat. To make it as easy as possible for people to access advice in their homes, short advice videos were recorded and shared widely across social media, and in Facebook community groups.

Like many other organisations, Citizens Advice SORT saw a considerable increase in demand when the pandemic hit. Chris, an adviser at Citizens Advice SORT Group said:

We spoke to residents who’d never used Citizens Advice before, never claimed benefits before, and had had a steady income for years, if not decades. Suddenly, people felt as if the rug was pulled from under them and they didn’t know what to do.”

Citizens Advice SORT Group supported people with a wide range of issues, helping a family who were about to be made homeless after the parent lost their job, advising someone who was denied furlough despite being told to shield, and organising an emergency food parcel and ongoing support for an elderly person who was unable to get enough food. Stockport resident, Ömer, shares his experience:

I was self-employed and unable to work due to coronavirus. When I made a claim for Universal Credit, the DWP told me that because I was a Turkish national and had no recourse to public funds, I wasn’t able to receive any support. Citizens Advice in Stockport identified that through the Ankara Agreement, I did have a right to public funds. With Citizens Advice’s support, I was able to apply for Universal Credit, receive an advanced payment and was finally able to replace my son’s outgrown clothes.”

As the country continues to move forward in a “new normal” environment, for tens of thousands of people their problems might be only just beginning as they struggle with the knock-on effects of the pandemic – especially as the support measures put in place by the government start to be withdrawn.

In the coming months, Citizens Advice SORT expect more clients to require support with personal debt, employment, benefits and housing as support provided during the pandemic begins to be rolled back. Face-to-face support will also return as restrictions ease to ensure access for those with limited access to digital services.