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Stockport Council is marking Challenge Poverty Week and Get Online Week with events aimed at addressing financial hardship, digital skills and finding work.
As part of Challenge Poverty Week, the council has hosted an Inclusive Jobs Fair and Money Maximise Roadshow on 15th October in Heaton Norris. Stockport residents can also continue to get advice from the online Cost of Living Hub, and telephone advice line, on topics such as benefits and debt, support with food and energy bills, council tax payment assistance and applying for pension credit worth £3,400 per year on average.
To mark Get Online Week, the DigiKnow partners are offering extra support to help people get online or improve their digital skills, such as using health apps, online shopping, or creating CVs. Details of upcoming events can be found on Stockport Council’s events calendar.
Work forms part of One Stockport Local, the council’s approach to delivering help and support in places close to those who need it.
Cllr Jilly Julian, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said:
“One Stockport Local and its partners are offering a lifeline to some of Stockport’s most vulnerable residents, providing practical support to help them through the current cost of living challenges. From Inclusive Jobs Fairs to low-cost digital device sales and help applying for pension credit, this is all part of our neighbourhood and prevention ambitions which aim to create happy and healthy lives for everyone living in Stockport.”
DigiKnow has also teamed up with the Family Hubs network for a low-cost device sale at Life Leisure Brinnington on 24th October with help to get online and other types of support available.
The low-cost devices on sale are donated devices that have been refurbished and relicensed by Community Computers, who are part of Stockport’s DigiKnow alliance, helping everyone to get online and improve their digital skills. Community Computers have also given refurbished devices to families at local primary schools, Stockport foster carers and the DigiKnow Device Lending Library run by Starting Point Community Learning Partnership.
Nicola Wallace Dean, COO, Starting Point Community Learning Partnership said:
“Devices such as these support people like Steve. Steve was referred to us by a homeless support worker from Stockport Homes. He was a rough sleeper who needed help accessing a mobile device and data to update his universal credit journal and help with appointments. He told us that he has no means of knowing what time it is during the day and has missed several appointments due to this. We supported Steve with a device and data from the Good Things Foundation national databank. We also signposted to partner organisations to support him in his current situation. Donations like this really have the power to change people’s lives.”
Twenty Stockport foster carers are the latest local people to benefit from computers donated to the DigiKnow recycling scheme. One foster carer who received a device said:
“Having this device has given me peace of mind to be able to do my online internet safety training so that I am equipped to help keep my child safe online and also given me access to our online fostering training sessions which I was unable to access before I got my device.”