These are expected to be people who often remain well below the radar and only engage with services when they experience a medical crisis. Core to the service is the ability to identify and help people who are at risk of falling into problem debt. In particular, the service is aimed at young adults on welfare and job seeking and working age adults who are struggling financially.
Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “People are much more likely to visit their doctor when they’re ill than they are to seek help when struggling financially. But the stress and pressure felt by people facing financial difficulties – especially if their home is under threat – is known to cause ill health.
“By basing this new advice service in health centres and having medical professionals refer people directly to it, we hope to reach more of those people who are less likely to ask for help and offer them the money and debt advice they may not otherwise get. Through this service, we expect to help some of the most vulnerable and hardest to reach people in some of the most deprived areas in our society. We hope that following the first two pilot projects in Glasgow and Dundee we can expand the service to other areas across Scotland.”