Collaborating on advice in community settings

The Greater London Authority’s Financial Hardship team are looking to collaborate with other funders who are funding, or considering funding, community-based welfare advice in London. This could come in a variety of forms: for example, you might be funding face-to-face advice embedded in community settings, or funding grassroots or frontline organisations to train staff in signposting and guidance, or to employ or train an advisor.

It’s well known that for many Londoners in financial hardship, getting social welfare legal advice can be a lifeline. When this advice is delivered in local, trusted, culturally appropriate settings, this can generate significant return on investment for funders, enabling more people who are traditionally underserved by advice services to maximise their incomes and improve their lives.

Since 2021, the GLA has been funding partnerships between advice agencies and community locations like food banks, schools, community centres and more, through our Advice in Community Settings grant programme. We are keen to speak with advice funders about the evaluation of our community-based advice funding, discuss the evidence base and return on investment for delivering advice interventions in community settings, and have a wider discussion with funders about the case for community-based and grassroots advice and the opportunities to embed the model in strategic advice plans for London.