Joint initiative aims to tackle poverty

A NEW project aiming to tackle the “significantly worrying” problem of poverty in Angus has been launched in Brechin.

The scheme brings together Voluntary Action Angus, Home-Start Angus, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Angus Women’s Aid and Tayside Council on Alcohol in a new united front against the issue.

Project leaders said parents across the county were struggling to feed their children and heat their homes, while women were being forced to remain in the grip of abusive partners because they could not afford to flee.

Julie Thomson, manager of Home-Start Angus, said the project, supported by Aspiring Scotland European funding, aimed to empower local people to confront the challenges facing their own communities.

She said Home-Start was dealing with the effects of poverty across the region on a regular basis and she hoped closer cooperation with colleagues in the new partnership would help boost its efforts.

CAB manager Kathy Anderson said: “CAB, its staff and volunteers, are committed to this project and will work to ensure people have support to access benefit entitlement and equally tackle fuel poverty issues.”

Anne Robertson Brown, chief executive of Angus Women’s Aid, said the project was an excellent example of how joint work could be used to tackle a major issue.