Support our Advice Centre!
Crowdfunder now closed (29th March 2024)
A big thank you to all those that supported our Advice Centre. We've raised a total of £1,598.75!
The Situation
We are currently facing some tough cuts from Brighton and Hove City Council. Sadly, it means our Advice Centre service and the fantastic team who support our local disabled community are going to be affected.
We have been informed that as of 31 March we will no longer receive any funding from the council for this service in Brighton and Hove. This is a funding cut of £29,000, nearly 50% of our total funding for this service.
The demand and need for our Advice Centre support is greater than it has ever been.
As the only charity in Brighton that supports people with all kinds of health conditions, this will have a devastating and disproportionate effect on some of the most vulnerable people in our city.
What We Do
Our Advice Centre offers a wide range of support and advice to disabled people, their families, friends, and carers. Our team of fully trained advisors are knowledgeable and understanding, with lived experience themselves of long-term health conditions. Last year they supported and empowered over 1000 people towards independence at a time where the cost-of-living crisis has impacted disabled people disproportionately.
Our main work is supporting people to apply for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Attendance Allowance to enable disabled people and those with long-term health impairments to live independently and live the life they choose.
“I’ve met other customers who’ve had your help to complete PIP forms or to challenge a wrong decision from PIP. Your help has given them the ability to access the financial support that PIP is designed to provide. A lot of my customers relax once they’ve got PIP. A lot of them have had to fight for it with your help. That fight can be exhausting, but they’ve told me that your constant, solid allyship has been invaluable in not giving up. Once they have the security of their regular PIP payments, they feel they have the freedom to look around and find the work that they want to do, whether it’s paid or voluntary, and to take their unique and beautiful place in the constellation of human beings that make up Brighton and Hove. You take the stress and the pressure away. By doing that, you give them room to take a breath.”
What is PIP & Attendance Allowance
PIP and Attendance Allowance are government grants to help meet the extra costs associated with living with a long-term health condition. They can enable disabled people to maintain independence and continue working through the support of a personal assistant (PA), home adaptions and transport costs.
- People with physical health conditions can benefit from having assistance that enables them to dress, bath, cook, eat and shop etc. Also transport costs if they have mobility issues enabling them to get out of the house.
- People with mental health conditions can receive support when leaving home, using public transport, attending medical appointments and public settings, taking medication etc.
- People with learning disabilities or neurodiversity can benefit from support around form filling, scheduling appointments, support with bill paying and banking etc.
PAs and home adaptions can also enable beneficiaries to stay at home for longer in a setting that contributes to the improvement of their mental health and not have to move to a care-facility or supported accommodation that will cost substantially more in the long-term.
These supports are incredibly beneficial, yet unfortunately there are many barriers that can prevent disabled people from accessing them. Many of our service users encounter difficulties with the required forms, finding them overwhelming due to their length, the extensive information they demand, and the complexity of the questions—particularly challenging for those grappling with conditions such as Dyslexia, ADHD, or learning disabilities. Consequently, this instils fear, stress, and anxiety, often resulting in individuals not seeking the supports they urgently require.
Our clients’ needs are at the centre of our work, and we work holistically to fully support them. Our team offers guidance and support tailored to each person’s queries and requirements, liaising with medical professionals and partner charities. Additionally, we assist individuals in identifying and accessing relevant support services for other pressing issues such as housing, abuse, relationship difficulties, and secondary health impairments. It’s common for individuals managing health conditions to encounter additional challenges, and we’re here to help navigate through them.
Involving Volunteers
As a volunteer-led organisation, we also train, support, and co-ordinate a team of volunteers who learn administration skills that support our advisors. Many of our volunteers find that involving themselves in their local community gives them an immense sense of satisfaction, but also provides them with the skills to move into paid work.
“I’ve heard how you help people to find a satisfying place in the world. A place where they are appreciated for their skills. I’ve had a few customers who started with you as a very part-time volunteer, usually in an admin role. They tell me they were nervous at first but built up their hours little by little and felt so safe and supported that they were able to use their volunteer work with you as a stepping stone to paid work doing admin elsewhere. You gave them the security to build their feelings of self-worth on the reality of their achievements. That’s a priceless gift. They all named Possability People as the reason they knew their skills have high value in the world. You took the time to give them regular and honest appreciation for the way their work kept the wheels of the office turning.”
What We Hope to Achieve!
Each £7000 milestone will fully fund an Advisor who will go on to support disabled people and their families, friends, and carers with advice, form filling, signposting for a year, and go on to train and support volunteers in administration skills and create an avenue for them to access future opportunities.
"I wanted to write to tell you and say thank you again for your help. I needed to apply for PIP for years, but couldn't face it, and couldn't do it without help. You were kind and patient, and it helped make the really difficult experience of PIP feel more bearable. "
Case studies
Sasha, a young woman diagnosed with a mild learning disability who had difficulty travelling to unfamiliar places, comprehending long-term financial decisions and unable to engage with the local community found herself especially isolated post-pandemic. These barriers combined with the struggles in her personal life meant that she could not begin to look for work. She had contacted us, and we identified that she was in desperate need of a Personal Assistant to support her with gaining independence and accessing the further available support in the community. We began by supporting Sasha to contact the PIP claim line due to her high-needs and followed by assisting her with completing the application due to her difficulty understanding the questions and how to present the answers needed with relevant information. Throughout the process we liaised with PIP advisors and coordinated support for her PIP assessment to allow us to accompany her to the assessment centre. On award of her Personal Independence Payments, Sasha began to be supported to plan journeys to her local amateur dramatic group, breaking the isolation and developing friendships. She received support in managing her finances to enable her to afford to travel to the various community supports. She also engaged with employment support services as Sasha was keen to find work and gain financial independence through this.