Shelter Cymru Find Independent Advice is First Vhoice for people with Housing Problems

(PRLEAP.COM) People in Wales threatened with homelessness would approach independent advice services before their local council, landlord or mortgage lender, according to research published today.

A survey commissioned by Shelter Cymru found that 43 per cent of homeowners with mortgages would approach the charity or Citizens’ Advice Bureau if they were facing housing problems or homelessness. Just 10 per cent and 13 per cent would go to their council or mortgage lender respectively.

The figure is even higher for those who own their home outright, with 53 per cent saying that Shelter Cymru or the CAB would be the first place they’d go for help.

Within the rented sector, 36 per cent of private tenants with housing problems would seek independent advice in the first instance, compared to 19 per cent who would go to their council. Meanwhile, even among council tenants, 36 per cent would go to Shelter Cymru or the CAB first, with 35 per cent approaching their council.

Director of Shelter Cymru John Puzey said that the survey findings underlined the importance of protecting the provision of independent, specialist advice services.

"This is not a criticism of other service providers, but these figures clearly suggest that people feel that independent advice services are more likely to look after their best interests.

"The provision of independent, specialist advice has never been more vital. The current recession and increasing unemployment, debt, mortgage and rent arrears mean that our advisers are seeing record numbers of people in difficulties.

"Shelter Cymru and the CAB play a crucial role in helping to prevent homelessness, reducing the financial burden on statutory services that would otherwise have to deal with the fall-out of repossession and eviction."

However, the specialist services provided by Shelter Cymru and the CAB, which both work on a not-for-profit basis, could be threatened under new plans proposed by the Legal Services Commission (LSC), the major funding provider for advice services in England and Wales.

The LSC proposes dividing Wales into eight operational areas, with a single provider or consortium running a Community Legal Advice Network. This network would be contracted to supply advice on housing, debt, employment, community care and welfare benefits from the most basic level right through to High Court representation.

The LSC also proposes introducing greater competition into the procurement of legal services and establishing a system of joint commissioning for public sector organisations.

John Puzey outlined a number of concerns within the not-for-profit sector about the proposed single or consortium provider approach to delivering legal services.

"It is untested and unevaluated – in fact, the House of Commons constitutional affairs committee has described the proposed changes as ‘a breath-taking risk.’ This approach needs to be thoroughly piloted before such a sweeping change is introduced.

"We firmly believe that any change should be about genuinely improving services for citizens, not simply cutting costs. These changes would have a significant impact on the ability of people to choose how and where they access advice.

"It is also likely that it will lead to conflicts of interest as reliance on a single provider may leave no alternative source of advice for two parties to a dispute," he said.

Fran Targett, director of CAB Cymru, added: "Shelter Cymru and the CAB provide more than just frontline advice services and we are concerned that this would not be recognised under a system where contracts are awarded purely on a cost basis.

"We work across lots of different levels, helping to influence and develop social policy and acting as a watchdog on local and national government to ensure our clients’ interests are fairly represented. All this work would be at risk if we were forced to compromise our frontline services."

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