An independent support service has revealed there is a worrying number of people struggling with housing and accommodation as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Figures show that last month had been the busiest month on record for Citizen Advice’s Bournemouth centre.
Out of almost 3,000 clients, 10 per cent were seeking help relating to housing and accommodation in March.
Jamie White, deputy operations manager at Citizens Advice, said that the centre had predicted an increase in foodbanks enquiries but instead the team were shocked to see the real concern as housing.
This January they saw an increase of 100 per cent in issues around threatened homelessness, compared to the same time last year.
Mr White said the cost-of-living crisis had seen clients struggling in other areas too, including debt and charitable support.
“For every one client that we have there is usually two to three issues, they are quite intertwined so it can be quite complex," he said.
This increase in demand has put added pressure on the Citizens Advice service, which is supported mostly by volunteers.
Nadia Mohammed, 21, has been a volunteering advisor at the centre since the end of 2021.
She has seen the effect the cost-of-living crisis has had on residents first-hand.
“Even when I first started and the clients that were coming to me, the issues were easy to deal with but now when someone comes to you for housing there’s also benefit issues and other things as well," she said.
“There isn’t just one thing that they come to you with anymore.”
Ms Mohammed said on average advisors spend around 30 minutes with each client, but recent months, with more complicated issues, had seen her sometimes spend up to two hours with a singule resident.
“It is manageable if we’ve got enough volunteers to see the other clients,” she added.
“Sometimes it’s just me and the supervisor and then that is more of a struggle because obviously he needs to see the clients and help me as well, but we do get through it.”
Citizens Advice is a network of independent charities that offer free confidential advice online, over the phone and in person.
The centre at Bournemouth Town Hall relies on volunteers and the team said they are always looking for more people to help.
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