As part of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, East Riding of Yorkshire Council is working together with partners to improve the support for the local Armed Forces community.
The East Riding Armed Forces Money Advice Service provides tailored support for local serving personnel, veterans and their families, including financial and legal advice and in-depth help on related generalist advice issues.
The service, funded by the council, is delivered by Hull & East Riding Citizen’s Advice. The service takes referrals from both partner organisations and self-referrals from members of the Armed Forces community themselves.
Due to COVID-19, an advice worker is currently only offering telephone appointments but full advice is still available and there are the means to be able to do three-way conference calls with clients and creditors, the Department for Work and Pensions, and other relevant organisations.
Katherine Nickolds, advice forward training centre manager at Hull & East Riding Citizen’s Advice, said: “We have several years’ experience providing support to serving personnel, veterans and their families.
“We are pleased to be able to offer this service in the East Riding of Yorkshire and proud to be supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and local Armed Forces Charities.
“We have created a simple referral form on our website for serving personnel, veterans and their families to complete and self-refer to our service and we aim to respond within four working days.
“The integrated nature of this service ensures serving personnel and veterans are helped holistically and the one-stop-shop approach means they don’t need to repeat the complexity of their lives to multiple advice staff/agencies.
“This, in turn, means they are less likely to fall ‘between the gaps’ of statutory and charitable service provision. We recognise the in-depth and intense nature of the service required and are able to spend more time with clients to support them with all their advice needs.
“We look at all aspects such as money advice, benefits, relationship advice, employment, housing and homelessness advice, consumer issues and work through these in order of urgency and complexity.
“We support the client until the task is complete, consulting with specialists when required, and work in close partnership with Armed Forces charities to help support client between contacts and enable them to access additional help.”
Councillor David Elvidge, Armed Forces Member Champion, said:
“I would like to say what a fantastic thing it is especially during these unprecedented times to have a dedicated East Riding Armed Forces Money Advice Worker able to help with targeted support for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, their families and dependants when that support is needed.”
