Advice hub
Over the last five years, the cost-of-living crisis has placed a heavy burden on residents in Royal Greenwich and across London, as well as on councils. In our borough, nearly one in five residents earn below the Living Wage (2024), while the overall poverty rate stands at 26%, with 37% of children living in poverty (2022/2023) . Many families have reached breaking point, with rising fuel and food prices, alongside financial uncertainty impacting their ability to make ends meet. Through Mission 3 of Our Greenwich, we have committed to supporting our residents in financial need, ensuring that they can access the right support, advice and opportunities to improve their situation.
Our Response
In January 2022, we decided to expand and improve our in-person Advice Hub network, building it on the success of existing provision, as we know how vital good, kind, and empowering advice can be for residents.
Since the pandemic, many services have been moved online, leaving some residents struggling to access support digitally: a face-to-face, compassionate service was needed. Using the Migrant Hub and the Clockhouse Community Advice Hub, established through joint council and external funding, as a base model for our Council-led hubs, Greenwich now operates six weekly, fixed Advice Hubs, three of which are funded and run by the council.
What’s on Offer?
Advice Hubs can be accessed throughout the working week at different locations within our communities across the borough. In addition to aiming for geographical spread, the Hubs are strategically located in high-deprivation areas, so that those who need support the most can easily access it. The Hubs are open to all borough residents and details on schedule, location, and advice available can be accessed here.
Residents receive professional guidance on a wide range of critical issues, depending on the Hub accessed: benefits eligibility and applications, housing advice, money and debt management, support for victims of domestic violence, immigration status assistance, and energy efficiency advice. Besides professional advice, our Hubs also provide meals and volunteer opportunities.
Importantly, the Hubs are intended as a safe and welcoming space for residents. We draw on existing community strengths as our community centre staff are familiar with their local areas, holding in-depth knowledge and understanding essential to achieve a more supportive environment for discussing sensitive topics such as debt reduction.
Our Partners
Collaboration is key to the success of these services. We work closely with a variety of specialised organisations: Citizens Advice, Greenwich Housing Rights, Debt Free Advice, The Plumstead Community Law Centre, offering specialist immigration advice, and SELCE, which provides impartial advice for those struggling with energy bills.
We are always striving to improve our offerings to better serve our residents. For instance, as part of our Advice Hub offer, we are developing a new project, with our Digital Team, to provide residents opportunities to learn new digital skills, enhancing their ability to navigate the digital world confidently. We are also rolling out on-the-spot feedback surveys to ensure we are continuously meeting the community's needs and adjusting our services accordingly.
Our Impact and Goals
We are proud to have supported people during difficult times, addressing a variety of problems: by February 2025, our attendance has reached over 6,500, with income generated for our resident as a result at just over £4 million .
From claiming help with funeral costs following bereavement and arranging conference calls with DWP to manage deductions, to supporting Council Tax Support applications, navigating energy and water arrears and better understanding the complex, often overwhelming benefits system. Our Advice Hubs have been crucial in ensuring residents have someone by their side during uncertain and distressing points in their lives, lessening the mental and psychological burden of navigating complex issues alone.
Following a survey we conducted in January 2024, whereby 145 people replied, a majority (68%) agreed that “without the Advice Hubs, would you have struggled to access the advice you needed?”. The qualitative analysis of the feedback form, pointed to how our services can provide a safe space to resident, where information, understanding, kindness, and dignity is offered. One resident shared how “the people were friendly and helpful. I was not rushed. They listened and advised. Even helping to fill out forms. They were informative and professional”. Importantly, our Hubs resolve to build residents’ capabilities and empower them to find solutions, e.g. “I was much more informed on the benefits I’d be entitled to; my concerns and queries were answered, and it felt much more personal than reading information online. I wasn’t in a good place and very overwhelmed and the advice I received was brilliant”. At the same time, the survey helped identify key points for service improvements, such as the wait-time, the infrequency of outreach sessions, and concerns regarding privacy.
We want our Advice Hubs to go beyond just advice-seeking: as councils face uncertain and difficult times financially, it is essential to make the most out of our community spaces. Overall, our aim is for the hubs to feel like a secure place where residents can share their problems, feel listened to by an advisor, connect to their local community, feel less stressed, and/or notice an improvement in their mental wellbeing.