Help for householders to address rising costs
Scottish and UK government investment has been secured by Inspiralba, Fyne Homes and Argyll and Bute Council to help householders address rising costs and environmental sustainability challenges.
The project will work with organisations across Argyll and Bute to employ and support nine trainees in staff posts each year over three years – 27 posts in total.
This will provide opportunities for individuals previously unemployed to access employment paying the living wage, where they will gain valuable work experience, skills and accredited training.
A graduate apprentice will also be employed to assist with coordination, while studying towards an honours degree in business management.
The project will add capacity for 10 locally-based organisations to engage in outreach to address issues of rising fuel costs, household poverty and climate action opportunities, all of which have been identified as key issues for communities.
Specialist advice will be provided on fuel poverty by Alienergy, whilst Bute Advice
Centre will provide specialist advice on maximising household income and managing debt.
Ailsa Clark, Inspiralba’s managing director, said: “We are grateful to the funders for supporting this programme, as rising household costs are increasingly becoming an issue for many people across our community.
“The household resilience advocate roles will be based with local organisations to help householders to address these challenges, promoting the range of support measures that are available and assisting householders to connect with specialist organisations for grants, resources, additional income and/or energy efficiency measures.”
The four Kintyre and Gigha roles will work with local organisations, including Inspiralba, Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust, South Kintyre Development Trust, Kintyre Weigh, Keeping It Local CIC, Shopper-Aide, Kintyre Recycling and Glenbarr Community Development Association to undertake outreach to households.
There will also be activities with a focus on climate action and access to school uniforms.
Training and support to develop confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding will be delivered to assist the employed trainees to engage with householders via outreach and drop-in sessions throughout the year in the local community.
There will also be an opportunity to undertake accredited training alongside access to specialist expertise and regular network meetings with colleagues in similar roles across Argyll and Bute.
The employability roles will deliver local impact, assisting householders in rural and island communities to access support to reduce costs and increase income, whilst also contributing to net zero targets through energy efficiency and climate action activity.
The project is supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, assisted by Argyll and Bute Council, alongside Investing in Communities funding from the Scottish Government, secured by Fyne Homes, with additional funding from the Fyne Group, Glenbarr Community Development Association and Inspiralba.