September Member of the month: West Glasgow Against Poverty (WestGAP)

Agency CV

What geographical area do you serve?  West Glasgow – based in Partick
When was your organisation founded? 1998
How many staff/volunteers do you have? Currently 16 workers - 14 unpaid and 2 paid (job-share)
Who are you funded by? A mixture of Trusts, Foundations and Community Fundraising
What’s the average number of clients you help each year? 1200 directly receive advice/information.

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Are there any specialist projects currently under way you would like people to know about?

We want to involve more people in our work who have become particularly isolated by poverty.  They may have forgotten skills, low self-esteem and lost confidence as a result of being stuck in the house without money. We are pleased to be entering into a project based partnership with Community Services Volunteers (CSV), a national organisation with extensive experience in training, to deliver more structured and personalised programmes of training for those who need the help most.

Why is your organisation a member of AdviceUK, and why is being a member important for your centre?

We joined AdviceUK because independence is very important to us and to the people who use our services. As a small group, we value the support of a large organisation, whether it is through offering advice and information to us as advice providers, or by providing affordable products e.g. insurance, group debt counselling licence etc. It’s also interesting to find out about other independent advice providers. However, we would like to see more going on in Scotland for members.

What do you think the future will bring in general for advice work?

In the short to medium term - more demand for both welfare rights and money advice, as a consequence of new legislation and the ‘credit crunch’, against a background of fewer and more stretched advice providers. In the longer term – tighter governmental control, through funding etc. to centralise advice services and to target specific groups of people, thus making it harder for smaller, local, independent agencies to survive, but making it even more crucial that we do.

Are there any factors or characteristics of your clients that you tackle and that you think are unique?

We believe poverty to be a violation of human rights. Therefore, we are constantly heartened and impressed by people whose human rights are being violated on a daily basis, but who still have enough concern for others and for their community to give their time, energy and skills in working with us.

What are your experiences with funding over time, and has anything changed in that regard lately?

Yes, there is political and cultural pressure on voluntary and community groups, who have already been surviving on the tightest of budget management, to be more ‘business-like’ and ‘entrepreneurial’. Many funders are now adopting this approach, which can make it difficult for organisations to focus on the needs of their client group as a priority, with a greater emphasis on ‘income generation’ and the additional administrative work involved in outcome based systems of management.

What would be your top tip for other advice agencies looking to improve their service or sustainability?

Above all, constantly remind yourself why you were set up and what you are supposed to be doing, and keep checking that you are still actually doing that. Stay true to your core values and to those who need your independence.  In practical terms, get involved in partnership work with others who share your values - there is strength in numbers, and try to develop more sources of independent funding, e.g. community fundraising, payroll giving etc.

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Member of the month

Offering free debt advice for the west Kent area with over a 100 hundred volunteers.

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