Residents of Aberdeen are facing a seven-week wait for help from the Citizens Advice Bureau due to a surge in demand.
More and more people are seeking help with the cost-of-living, meaning under-pressure staff are “triaging” cases to help those more in need of urgent support.
Aberdeen’s CAB office has 27 staff and 52 trained volunteers, and the team has stressed despite the pressures they are facing they want people to seek advice if they need it.
The charity, which has been offering confidential and independent advice for over 80 years, sees around 200 people per week.
Bureau manager Kristi Kelly said: “We are dealing with hugely increased demand as a result of the cost of living crisis alongside the impact of the pandemic on our capacity.
“We triage demand so crisis cases are seen quickly, and people who can self-help with online advice frees up capacity for more vulnerable people with complex cases to get that one-to-one advice.
“But the crucial thing is to seek help, and not put it off.”
Citizens Advice ‘one-stop shop’
Aberdeen’s CAB aims to be a “one-stop shop” so that clients are not passed from one organisation to another.
In 2021-22, the team helped 3,921 clients, allowing them to access £4.8million of financial benefits.
In May, the Aberdeen office reopened its doors for in-person appointments following a refurbishment.
‘I am not surprised in the least’
Kevin Stewart is the SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central and the minister for mental wellbeing and social care.
He said: “Citizens Advice do an incredible job supporting people in very difficult circumstances and they’ve been clear that help is still on offer.
“They have a variety of online tools which can provide valuable advice straight away.
“Just like my own constituency office we are seeing huge numbers of people really struggling to get by.”
Longest-ever waiting list
At the SNP party conference over the weekend, Aberdeen MP Kirsty Blackman said her office had dealt with more suicidal constituents in a fortnight than in “years” due to cost of living pressures.
She also said Aberdeens Citizens Advice service now had a “longer waiting list than they’ve ever had before.”
Aberdeen’s CAB is part of a wider team of 59 bureaux across Scotland.
Last week, it was announced they generated £132 million for people altogether in the past year.
They say on average, one in six people who come in for financial advice saw a financial gain, with the average being £4,200.
Where can people go for advice?
Aberdeen’s Citizens Advice Bureau say they are still open to helping as many people as they can.
It is located at 41 Union Street and is open between 10am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.
They also offer an outreach programme at various community centres around the city.
Advice can also be gathered immediately from their online explainer pages and interactive money map tool.
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