This Advice in Havering Project aims to provide easy access to obtain free advice and information, mainly for people living or working within the London Borough of Havering. There are also some important national contacts.
There is a prime focus on Citizens Advice, who have been delivering a charitable service to the local Havering community for more than eighty years. They are one of the longest established organisations to supply free advice and support for people within the Borough.
Citizens Advice Havering is a registered charity and member of a national network with over 21,000 volunteers and 7,000 paid staff, providing a vital independent confidential advice and information service to the public in approximately 2,500 locations across England and Wales, completely free of charge.
In the last year more than 2.55 million peple were given individual advice, and the website advice pages had over 58 million views.
The table below represents the recent 12-month snapshot of the five most important issues affecting local clients.
| # | Top Issues | Clients | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benefits | 812 | 1,906 |
| 2 | Debt | 487 | 1,417 |
| 3 | Housing | 490 | 1,393 |
| 4 | Family | 327 | 885 |
| 5 | Consumer | 180 | 441 |
Citizens Advice in Romford, is the administration office for Citizens Advice Havering, and is conveniently situated close to the town centre, within the Romford Central Library building.
Address: 1st Floor, Romford Central Library, 1 Edwards Way, Romford. RM1 3ARThe Romford office does not provide a drop-in advice service. Limited face-to-face appointments can be booked at the Citizens Advice outreach offices around Havering, as well as at H.A.D. (Havering Association for People with Disabilities).
Citizens Advice in Romford is normally open to visitors on Mondays to Thursdays, between 10am and 12noon, for information and signposting only. There is no available ingoing public telephone number to the office.
Hornchurch Library 44 North Street, Hornchurch RM11 1TB
General Advice Appointments available on Thursdays
10:00 to 12:00.
Harold Hill Library 19a Farnham Rd, Harold Hill RM3 8ED
Advice Appointments available on Mondays 10:00 to 12:00, and Tuesdays
13:00 to 16:00.
Rainham Library 6 Celtic Farm Road, Rainham RM13 9GP
General Advice Appointments available on Wednesdays
11:00 to 13:00.
1A Woodhall Crescent (Wingletye Ln), Hornchurch RM11 3NN
General Advice Appointments available on Thursdays
10:00 to 12:00.
Recent global events have caused an unstable financial world, resulting in higher living and energy costs, which are greatly affecting the lives of mostly everyone in the country.
The highly trained volunteers and paid staff at Citizens Advice, are working around the clock to advise and support people through these difficult times.
You can explore data and graphics charts here:
Cost-of-Living Data Dashboard
A short video highlighting the cost-of living crisis.
Watch on youtube
Havering is the most easterly, and one of the largest Boroughs in London, covering a space of around 40 square miles, and is made up of about 50 percent of Green Belt Land.
Although mostly suburban, Havering does have a fair share of social and economic problems affecting many residents. The Council together with local voluntary charities and other publicly funded organisations, tries to provide services for issues that affect everyone living or working within the Borough.