Cross sector training seminar for
local authority, community finance and housing workers
With housing problems set to rise, how can local community banking and credit unions make a real difference?
Powys has like many rural areas has a large number of hard to heat houses across the county.
A substantial number houses are also owned by people who find regular maintenance jobs difficult or by those who are on low incomes. For them disrepairs start to become a serious problem.
Set in the new context of the credit crunch, rising unemployment, house price deflation, and rising fuel costs these problems are becoming more of a concern for many of our friends and neighbours across our county.
So what can we do?
Well one approach being trialled is a partnership between Powys County Council and the Robert Owen Community Banking Partnership. They are developing an innovative approach to this by ensuring that householders are able to access small amounts of affordable credit through a local loan fund.
This training event pitches the two partners together into exploring the best ways of delivering new services. It will bring together people from our local community finance sector who are skilled in providing money advice and in assessing credit and budgeting needs, with people from the housing sector who are experienced in working on the front line of these problems.
We will be looking at:
how referrals can be joined up across the region
new ways that other counties are now starting to look at these problems
getting a better understanding of our organisations and other players working in the county
the different challenges we face in our jobs within the partnership.
what are the key risks involved and how to prevent the worst from happening
interesting financial stuff (honest!) such as how much money can be saved through a preventive service, and where new funding might be becoming available.
where we can collaborate with other initiatives
It's going to be fun, there's going to be excellent food, it's essential that you are going to be there!
(The seminar will be free, but we would ask for a small donation to help cover your lunch).
It will be held on:
Tuesday 23rd June from 10.30 AM to 3.00 PM.
Venue: Town Hall, Severn Street, Newtown (5 minutes walk from station)
For more information please contact Rina Clarke on 01686 623741.