A welfare charity has managed to secure almost £3million for struggling Aberdonians over the past year.
The city’s Citizens Advice Bureau charity has published its annual accounts for 2017-18 and has revealed its success in helping people who have found themselves in a difficult situation.
The charity supports people who need represented if they find themselves in a range of difficult situations, from debt to consumer disputes.
Kate Dean, acting deputy manager of the Aberdeen CAB, said the organisation’s work was not just about money, but was a “tangible” measure of how successful its year had been.
The former city council leader said: “It’s difficult to say what’s the most significant aspect of what we do because different things will mean more to different clients.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter
“It’s the tangible side of things, because we can’t measure somebody’s piece of mind, for example. The money side is there and can be measured much more easily.”
CAB has successfully saved people £1.7 million through either reducing their debts or successfully overturning creditors’ decision to pursue money.
It has also helped its clients claim more than £1 million in benefits.
Mrs Dean said the charity often helped people who had nowhere else to turn.
“People will quite often come to us almost as the last resort, people can be in a very desperate situation and if we are able to help them it’s a great boost for us.
“In a lot of situations people aren’t aware of how they can apply for benefits or they maybe don’t want to claim because of the stigma.
“We’ve certainly seen a big increase since the down turn, in a lot of cases it’s been people who have never been in that system before.
“In a lot of instances people have left it to the absolute last minute and gone through all of their savings because they have been so resistant to claiming.
“But these people have been paying into the system, why shouldn’t they also benefit from it? I compare it to claiming on your car insurance when someone damages it, it’s national insurance so treat it the same way.”
CAB offers drop-in appointments at its 41 Union Street office between 9.30-3.30pm on Monday-Friday.
