Ealing Advice Service Celebrates First Year
More than 150 people have sought help from the scheme
A free Advice service for Ealing residents is celebrating its first year anniversary.
Advice Plus Ealing run by A2Dominion was set up in July 2015 to tackle the impact of welfare reform, levels of poverty and to help more local people get into work.
The anniversary session held at Ealing Town Hall opened its doors to more than 40 residents alongside key partner organisations including Catalyst Housing, Ealing Council and mental health charity, Mind.
The service, which is available to everyone who lives in Ealing residents, has seen almost 150 residents get help on managing finances, getting into work and tips on healthier living over the past year.
Ealing Councillor, Aysha Raza, who attended the anniversary session, said, “As a councillor it is extremely useful to be able to help residents access the information they need. I have seen a sharp increase in the need for advice services during austerity, so it is great to see a service like this being delivered.”
Heather David, Head of Community Investment at A2Dominion said, “In a competitive job market where five Ealing residents apply for every job vacancy, we have a dedicated team at Advice Plus helping local people into work.”
No one felt this more acutely than local resident, Mariam Razzaq, who attended an Advice Plus last year.
Mariam, who has three children and was a full-time carer for her aunty who recently passed away, said: “I was nervous when I first arrived at the Advice Plus session, but the staff at A2Dominion were so welcoming.”
With the help of Dennis, (pictured above) who is A2Dominion’s dedicated employment advisor, Mariam was able to get vital support on how to write a CV.
Mariam, who is also chair of Contact a Family, Ealing and Southall (a charity for families of disabled children), added: “I used to think ‘I’m definitely not going to get this job’, but because of support from Advice Plus I got called for an interview and got the job. So far it’s going really well.”
The Advice Plus sessions are held on the first Thursday of every month, and the next session is on Thursday 4 August. Residents can drop in anytime between 1pm-4pm at Ealing Town Hall.
26 July 2016