Good Neighbours Network and Citizens Advice Hampshire
Uniting community partners to lift vulnerable Hampshire households out of fuel poverty
Our project at a glance
- Strategic priority area: Targeting geographic communities most at risk of fuel poverty
- Support target: 4,000 households over two years
- Duration: May 2024 to March 2026
- Investment: £418,956 over two years
- Forecast SROI: £1.65
Botley NeighbourCare clients are mostly of an age where a reminder on how to keep safe and hopefully keep bills down will be of enormous help. Others within the community will be encouraged to join in these events, no matter what age.
We have monthly events with quite a few of our clients and I'm sure would be very happy to attend these chats; especially as we'll entice them with a free cuppa and cake (courtesy of Botley NeighbourCare).
Botley NeighbourCare volunteer
Good Neighbours Network group
Why we’re working together
In October 2023, National Energy Action reported that 6.5 million UK households were in fuel poverty, based on the definition of low-income households spending more than 10% of their income on their energy bills.
The National Energy Action data shows some constituencies within Hampshire have a higher-than-average amount of households living in fuel poverty compared to the average for the South-east and the national average.
The Good Neighbours Network has more than 4,000 volunteers who operate 120 locally-run groups across Hampshire, offering a helping hand to others in their community. The volunteers often support vulnerable households in their homes, providing transport to medical appointments or lending a hand with gardening and DIY.
Increasingly, the Good Neighbours Network is finding residents are forced to make difficult choices when it comes to heating their homes because of stretched household incomes.
We’ve joined together with the Good Neighbours Network and Citizens Advice Hampshire to proactively support Hampshire residents through tailored energy safeguarding and support services designed to tackle fuel poverty. This new partnership will run alongside our existing Home & Well partnership with Citizens Advice Hampshire, increasing the energy support services available to Hampshire residents.
Project objectives
- Training 90 Good Neighbours Network volunteers to provide energy advice and safeguarding
- Delivering in-person energy efficiency advice for 4,000 Hampshire residents
- Creating welcoming spaces for Hampshire residents to access energy safeguarding support within the community
- Identifying households most in need and referring them to their local Citizens Advice for in-depth support
- Promoting the Priority Services Register and helping eligible households to sign up for the free service
- Educating 1,000 households on carbon monoxide (CO) safety and providing free CO alarms where required
How we’re working together
Upskilling Good Neighbours Network volunteers
We’re training Good Neighbours Network volunteers on how to identify households in fuel poverty and what to do when they identify a household in need. Our training, delivered by National Energy Action and the Gas Safe Charity, also covers carbon monoxide safety and how to help people sign up for the PSR.
One-to-one energy advice
We aim to support 4,000 Hampshire households with in-person energy efficiency advice, delivered by Good Neighbours Network volunteers.
Volunteers are also able to refer households that are most struggling to maintain a safe and warm home directly to Citizens Advice Hampshire for more in-depth energy support. In addition, Citizens Advice Hampshire advisers, through the Home & Well service, can provide a complete wraparound service to help households with a range of other issues such as housing, employment and relationships.
How to get involved
Accessing the Home & Well: Good Neighbours Network service
As one of our VCMA network partners, you can refer your clients to a Good Neighbours Network group by emailing info@goodneighbours.org.uk.
If you live in Hampshire and would like to join a Good Neighbours Network group, you can find your nearest group on the Good Neighbours Network website.
Becoming a partner
You can find out more about working with the Good Neighbours Network by emailing Gambol.Parker@portsmouth.anglican.org.
The Good Neighbours Network is delighted to be working with CAB Hampshire and SGN to help identify vulnerable households across the area and establish meaningful support for them working with our amazing member groups and volunteers. This is a significant investment from SGN which recognises the expertise, dedication, and hard work of both CAB and GNN. Many people are struggling with their fuel bills and this is an important step to find help for the most vulnerable that they might otherwise not be able to access.