Brighton and Hove Advice Centre

Aim

We want to support our advice service to support more people!

Who We Are

Possability People is a Brighton-based charity that supports, empowers, and enables disabled people and people with any long-term health conditions of all ages from all backgrounds to live the lives they choose!

The situation

We are currently facing some tough cuts from the Brighton and Hove City Council. Sadly, it means our Advice Centre service and the fantastic team who support our local disabled community are going to be affected. 

We have been informed that as of 31 March we will no longer receive any funding from the council for this service in Brighton and Hove. This is a funding cut of £29,000, nearly 50% of our total funding for this service.  

The demand and need for our Advice Centre support is greater than it has ever been. As the only charity in Brighton that supports people with all kinds of health conditions, this will have a devastating and disproportionate effect on some of the most vulnerable people in our city.

What we hope to achieve! 

Each £7000 milestone will fully fund an Advisor who will go on to support disabled people and their families, friends, and carers with advice, form filling, signposting for a year, and go on to train and support volunteers in administration skills and create an avenue for them to access future opportunities.

What we do

Our Advice Centre offers a wide range of support and advice to disabled people, their families, friends, and carers. Our team of fully trained advisors are knowledgeable and understanding, with lived experience themselves of long-term health conditions. Last year we supported and empowered over 1000 people towards independence at a time where the cost-of-living crisis has impacted disabled people disproportionately.  

Feedback: "I wanted to write to tell you and say thank you again for your help. I needed to apply for PIP for years, but couldn't face it, and couldn't do it without help. You were kind and patient, and it helped make the really difficult experience of PIP feel more bearable. " – Advice Centre Client

Our main work is supporting people to apply for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Attendance Allowance to enable disabled people and those with long-term health impairments to live independently and live the life they choose.

Feedback: “I’ve met other customers who’ve had your help to complete PIP forms or to challenge a wrong decision from PIP. Your help has given them the ability to access the financial support that PIP is designed to provide. A lot of my customers relax once they’ve got PIP. A lot of them have had to fight for it with your help. That fight can be exhausting, but they’ve told me that your constant, solid allyship has been invaluable in not giving up. Once they have the security of their regular PIP payments, they feel they have the freedom to look around and find the work that they want to do, whether it’s paid or voluntary, and to take their unique and beautiful place in the constellation of human beings that make up Brighton and Hove. You take the stress and the pressure away. By doing that, you give them room to take a breath.” – DWP Job Coach

Our Beneficiaries

Our clients’ needs are at the centre of our work and we work holistically to fully support them. Our team offers guidance and support tailored to each person's queries and requirements, liaising with medical professionals and partner charities. Additionally, we assist individuals in identifying and accessing relevant support services for other pressing issues such as housing, abuse, relationship difficulties, and secondary health impairments. It's common for individuals managing health conditions to encounter additional challenges, and we're here to help navigate through them.

Involving volunteers

As a volunteer-led organisation, we also train, support, and co-ordinate a team of volunteers who learn administration skills that support our advisors. Many of our volunteers find that involving themselves in their  local community gives them an immense sense of satisfaction, but also provides them with the skills to move into paid work.  

Feedback: “I’ve heard how you help people to find a satisfying place in the world. A place where they are appreciated for their skills. I’ve had a few customers who started with you as a very part-time volunteer, usually in an admin role. They tell me they were nervous at first but built up their hours little by little and felt so safe and supported that they were able to use their volunteer work with you as a stepping stone to paid work doing admin elsewhere. 

Feedback: You gave them the security to build their feelings of self-worth on the reality of their achievements. That’s a priceless gift. They all named Possability People as the reason they knew their skills have high value in the world. You took the time to give them regular and honest appreciation for the way their work kept the wheels of the office turning.” – DWP Job Coach

Case studies

*Sara’s story – The right support to make life work 

When Sara first connected with Possability People, she had been signed off from work on long-term sickness absence due to the impact of fibromyalgia, meaning she lives with chronic pain and fatigue.

As we got to know her situation, it rapidly became apparent that work itself wasn’t the problem.  Sara had a very supportive employer, with effective reasonable adjustments in place within the workplace, including a shift pattern which enabled her to manage her pain and energy levels.

However, outside of work, Sara had no support in her life. The day-to-day tasks of cooking, cleaning, shopping, and attending appointments were taking such a toll on her health she was unable to attend work, even with the reasonable adjustments. She was in too much pain and had too little energy.

It became clear that ensuring Sara had support at home would have a dramatic impact, not only on day-to-day life, but also would enable her to return to work – a goal she had thought unattainable.

We introduced Sara to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), a game-changer she hadn’t known about before.  With PIP, Sara could enlist the help she needed to tackle daily chores, conserve energy, and alleviate chronic pain, opening up the possibility of her return to work.

We supported Sara to apply for PIP, completing the long and complex forms with her, supported by her medical records and other vital information. We also accompanied her to the assessment, to provide support.  Sara later shared she would never have ventured into this journey alone.

Sara was awarded both mobility and care aspects of PIP.  The mobility element enables her to pay for taxis for medical appointments and for travel to work if she has a flare up in her condition. Meanwhile, the care component enabled her to employ a PA to support her at home.

This newfound support has truly transformed Sara’s life. She has been able to make a full return to work and is now able to manage her complex and fluctuating health condition both in and out of work. 

*Name changed to protected identity

This project successfully funded on 29th March 2024