Re-thinking support for the financially vulnerable

From futuregov -

‘Late last year, [we] blogged about a project that we were kicking off with Lewes District Council to look at how they and their partners might be able to help people who are struggling financially, particularly in the light of upcoming welfare changes.

We’ve spent an insightful couple of months in Lewes talking to front-line staff, community advocates and, most importantly, people from low-income households who are at the sharp end of changes. We wanted to find out how people are coping in the current financial climate. Where are they feeling the pinch? How effective is the support on offer? What can be done to mitigate the challenges they are facing?

But rather than simply taking a deficit approach, we were also interested in thinking through how people could be supported in their longer-term aspirations. So we looked to find out what people wanted from their lives and where we might be able to tap into wider community resources to help them achieve their goals.’

more @ http://wearefuturegov.com/2013/03/re-thinking-support-for-the-financially-vulnerable/