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Cardiff charity, ACE, has expanded its support across three primary care clusters in Cardiff to help more members of the community who are struggling with financial issues and have increased vulnerabilities due to health conditions made worse through living in cold and damp homes.

ACE, which has recently been awarded a two-year contract from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to expand its YourSpace programme, has received nearly £50k of funding from Wales & West Utilities Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA). Through the contract, and additional funding, ACE will now deliver its food and fuel poverty crisis support service to approximately half the population of Cardiff, following the expansion to include north and south west Cardiff, as well as its origins in the west of the city.

The charity, which was established in 2013 and operates from its base in Dusty Forge, has seen a significant increase in demand for their crisis support since the pandemic and now regularly supports between 40-50 people a week. The funding will allow ACE to focus its support by going directly into communities to help those with health conditions, due to cold homes in the Cardiff area, specifically those with respiratory conditions, which would not otherwise engage with them.

Nerys Sheehan, Project Coordinator at ACE, explains:

Prior to the pandemic we supported, on average, 12 people a week through twice weekly energy advice drop-in sessions, but in response to the cost-of-living crisis the need for our service continues to grow and we are now offering daily crisis support sessions and seeing vast numbers through our doors.

The support we provide ranges from immediate assistance and accessing emergency fuel and food vouchers, as well as identifying underlying issues so that people can get the right support. However, we know that there are so many vulnerable community members who still need that support but are struggling to leave their homes due to a range of factors.

This funding is pivotal to the expansion of the service, and we’ve been able to fund roles that allow us to get into the heart of communities to support those who need it the most.

Through its delivery of YourSpace ACE takes referrals directly from GPs, via a secure system that identifies patients’ needs and vulnerabilities. The funding from Wales & West Utilities will increase its staff capacity to refer people to crisis and longer-term support, addressing the underlying issues contributing to fuel poverty.

Nerys continued:

This funding has allowed us to fund an ACE Energy Specialist Caseworker who will provide targeted advice to those with health conditions, that are exacerbated by cold homes, and deliver outreach sessions in GP Surgeries. They will also work to upskill our Community Connectors so that they, too, can offer practical financial support to the patients they are working with.

Our forecasts show that this funding will allow us to directly, and positively, impact more the 1,600 people living across the city, through a range of support including energy advice, financial support and signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).

It will help us bridge the gap between health and fuel poverty, and directly reach those affected by physical and mental health conditions, to help them get the support that’s right for them.

L-R Wales & West Utilities Molliemay Wells & Rachele Verdini with ACE’ Stacie Leek and Sam Froud Powell

Sophie Shorney, VCMA Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said:

We are delighted to support the fantastic work of ACE and provide this funding through the VCMA. The fund allows us to work in partnership with organisations to reach more people and provide them with the help they need to ensure they receive the right support to keep them safe and warm in their own homes.

ACE exists to make a positive impact to the people of Cardiff, and we are happy that this funding will further help them to get into the heart of communities.

Between April 2021 to March 2026, Wales & West Utilities has £25m to spend on projects which support consumers in vulnerable situations and raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and keep people safe from the ‘silent killer’.

Funding is distributed through the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA), and 75% of the money will be spent on projects relevant to Wales and south west England only, while 25% will be spent on collaborative projects with the other gas networks across the whole of the UK.

If you have a project that you think Wales & West Utilities could support, either individually or collaboratively with other gas networks, then contact Wales & West Utilities at VCMA@wwutilities.co.uk.

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night.