Citizens Advice Woking (CAW) provides local people with free, confidential, and independent advice to anyone who needs it, without judgement, whatever their problem.

Its team of 70 volunteers are supported by specialists; some of them paid staff, who can give detailed advice on benefits, housing, debt and immigration, based on thorough training and long experience.

Clients seldom come with one problem. What may look, for instance, like a straightforward housing case often has other issues linked to it; benefits, debt and employment, for example. Time is spent building relationships with clients, understanding their problems, looking at causes and providing advice drawing on the expertise of specialists.

Financial difficulties have many causes, including life events (losing a job, injury, having a baby, a bereavement). Then there is the increasing cost of living and being unable to afford utility bills or council tax. Family breakdown can play a role. CAW is inclusive, used to working with clients who are digitally excluded, have mental or physical disabilities, or language barriers.

CAW is seeing an increasing number of families where there is less money coming in than going out each month, with no financial resilience to deal with day-to-day pressures. It works with clients to maximise their income, building a complete picture to enable offering soundly based advice.

This takes time; if someone does not have the money to pay for basic living costs such as housing, food, water rent, council tax and heating, then even talking about it and accessing the right help can be stressful.

Debt caseworkers Helen and Michael provide one example of a client situation, with complex and multi-layered issues.

A single mum with a young son came to CAW because she was being visited by enforcement agents (bailiffs) due to council tax arrears. CAW found her benefits were capped and she had deductions because of previous overpayments, leaving her only £300 per month to pay all her bills and to feed and clothe herself and her child.

A language barrier was overcome by using interpreters. CAW helped her to claim the benefits she was entitled to and stopped the deductions. CAW negotiated with her energy supplier to reduce the deductions from the money she put into her pre-payment meter; supported her applications for disability benefits, including appeals to tribunals; helped her to apply to charities for the white goods she needed, as well as fuel and food vouchers; and helped her find a debt solution (bankruptcy). This has taken 18 months so far, and CAW’s support continues.

To learn more about Citizens Advice Woking, visit www.wokingcab.org/. Find CAW on Facebook or Instagram or follow it on Twitter @WokingCA.

CAW is a charity, not funded by central government. Due to Woking Borough Council's financial crisis, its community grant stopped from April 1.

It is now crowdfunding - search Citizens Advice Woking

CAW asks people to please donate whatever they are able, to help it continue to provide vital services.