Skip to main content
[Web-Dorado_Zoom]
Epping Forest District Council
Main content

Community

DevelopMe

Frontline

Livewell Essex

Youth projects

Grant aid

Citizen of the year

Volunteer team of the year

Young citizen of the year

Creativity award

Sports award

#consequences

Community champions

Armed Forces community covenant

Epping Community Hub

Epping Community Hub

The new Civic Offices is much more than just a place to access your district council services.

The Epping Community Hub is a one-stop shop for residents to access a wide range of services for help and advice.

How it works

There will be set times and days when each organisation will be based at the Epping Community Hub. This is to ensure a range of services is available, there is space for private interviews and to observe social distancing.

For most services in the hub, you will need to book an appointment with the service you require. All contact details are below.

Services at the Epping Community Hub

Citizens Advice Epping Forest District

Citizens Advice offers free, impartial, confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person. The issues they cover include housing, immigration, work, benefits, debt and money, family and consumer. They have specialist advisers covering employment, benefits and debt problems and can refer to other specialist services if they are unable to advise on the presenting problem.

Citizens Advice will be offering initial conversations with people who come to the Hub. An appointment would be scheduled if further help is required.

At the hub:

  • Tuesdays 9.30am to 3pm
  • Thursdays 9.30am to 3pm

Contact Citizens Advice Epping Forest District:

Changing Pathways

Changing Pathways provides advocacy and support to survivors of domestic abuse.

At the hub:

  • Wednesdays 10am to 4pm

For advice call 0330 3337 444 (open from 8am to 8pm weekdays and 8am to 1pm weekends)

Contact Changing Pathways:

CHESS Homeless

CHESS works to ensure that people who find themselves homeless in Essex are supported in ways that enable them to move forward purposefully and in good health. They provide accommodation, support and sign-posting services to homeless adults.

At the hub:

  • Tuesdays 9.30am to 4pm
  • Fridays 1pm to 4pm

To contact CHESS Homeless head office:

The Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy.

At the hub:

  • Tuesdays 9.30am to 4pm
  • Thursdays 9.30am to 4pm

To contact DWP:

EFDC Services

All Epping Forest District Council services will be available from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm however, some services will have an enhanced presence at the hub throughout the week. Our Welcome Hub officers will be available to support customers access our services online.

At the hub:

Community, Culture and Wellbeing services – including community grant support:

  • Mondays 2pm to 5.15pm
  • Wednesdays 2pm to 5.15pm
  • Thursdays 2pm to 5.15pm

Homelessness triage and support officer – providing support, direction and shelter to those faced with homelessness

  • Monday to Friday 9am to 5.15pm

Neighbourhoods services – general housing advice, anti-social behaviour information

  • Wednesdays 9am to 5.15pm

Revenue and Benefits – get advice and support with claiming housing benefit, Council Tax support, disabled relief, single person’s discounts, issuing of foodbank vouchers.

  • Thursdays 9am to 5pm

Contact us:

Employ-Ability

Employ-Ability is a specialist employment support charity working with people experiencing mental ill health in south and west Essex and west Suffolk.

Employ-Ability provides a number of services to help people with mental health issues find and maintain employment.

At the hub:

  • Mondays 9.30am to 2.30pm
  • Fridays 10am to 4pm

Contact Employ-Ability:

Epping Forest Food Bank

Epping Forest Food Bank provides emergency food parcels to people who live in or near the Epping Forest district who have been referred to them by Frontline care.

At the hub:

  • Mondays 3.30pm to 5pm

Contact Epping Forest Food Bank:

Epping Forest ReUSE

Epping Forest ReUSE is a local charity that helps relieve poverty by providing good quality furniture and household appliances for people in need. Furniture is sold at low prices or at a discount to people on income-related benefits. Some items are free of charge to people in exceptional need, referred by agencies.

At the hub:

  • Fridays 9am to 5pm

Contact Epping Forest ReUSE

Essex County Council – Adult Social Care

Adult Social Care is a system of support designed to maintain and promote the independence and wellbeing of disabled people, older people, and informal carers.

Prevention and early intervention are at the heart of the system. If an individual has needs that are not eligible, their local authority will support them by signposting or connecting them with voluntary or local community organisations that can support their needs.

Assessments are carried out by professional social workers or other council adult social care staff.

At the hub:

  • Fridays 9:30am to 1:30pm

There is no need to book an appointment with Adult Social Care, just turn up on the day to speak to someone.

For more information or advice:

  • Call 0345 603 7630
  • Textphone 0345 758 5592

(Monday to Thursday, 8.45am to 5pm, Friday, 8.45am to 4.30pm)

Essex County Council – Family Solutions

Family Solutions is a service in Essex working with disadvantaged families, with multiple difficulties, enabling them to make significant changes and improvements to their lives.

Family Solutions works with families who have 2 or more of the following difficulties:

  • No family member in work
  • Significant non-school attendance (for whatever reason)
  • Members involved in crime or anti-social behaviour
  • Affected by domestic violence
  • Living with drug and alcohol misuse
  • With children in need and were open to social care
  • With children who exhibit significant behavioural difficulties
  • Facing eviction or with significant rent arrears or neighbour disputes
  • With 1 or more member of the household with (tier 2) mental health needs

At the hub:

  • Tuesdays 10am to 2pm
  • Wednesdays 10am to 2pm

All referral needs to go through the Essex Family Operations Hub, all walk-in customers will be able to receive information advice and guidance only.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT)

EPUT is providing 2 different services at the hub.

  1. Community mental health services will provide triage, assessment and treatment for individuals with mental health needs in the community.
  2. As part of the Rough Sleeper Initiative, an officer will be based at the hub to help those who are homeless or rough sleeping get access to the services such as mental health input, social care input, or engagement with partner agencies. They will be working closely with CHESS and the EFDC homelessness team.

At the hub:

Community mental health

  • Fridays 10am to 4pm

For the Community mental health service contact:

For the Rough Sleeper Initiative contact Craig Capener:

Nacro

Nacro is a national social justice charity with over 50 years’ experience of changing lives, building stronger communities and reducing crime. It houses, educates, supports, advises, and speaks out for and with disadvantaged young people and adults.

At the hub:

  • Mondays 10am to 3pm

For more information or advice:

Papworth Trust – Employment Support

Papworth Trust support those furthest from the employment market to gain employability skills including job searching, employment and education and training. Customers are supported on a one to one basis.

To be eligible, you must:

  • Be aged 15 years and over
  • Have the ‘Right to Work’ in the UK
  • Not be in any form of employment

Community Connections Essex is funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund

At the hub:

  • Wednesdays 10am to 4pm

For further information:

Peabody Outreach Support

Essex Outreach Support offers a short-term support service to people over the age of 16 years, living within Essex who are experiencing a range of problems that are impacting their health, financial and housing wellbeing.

At the hub:

  • Fridays 10am to 4pm

For further information or advice

Phoenix Futures

Phoenix Futures is a signposting/advocacy service for offenders with complex and additional needs. It offers support to anyone within the criminal justice system to access services to assist them with needs that are not currently being met.

At the hub:

  • Mondays 9am to 4pm
  • Thursdays 9am to 4pm

You must book an appointment with Phoenix Futures.

To book an appointment, contact Anne Hunnable, Team Manager

Voluntary Action Epping Forest

Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) is an independent charity whose core work is aimed at helping other local charities and community groups to achieve their full potential.

VAEF develops new initiatives to meet the community’s needs, such as:

  • Ace Activities for people with learning difficulties
  • Benefits advice for housebound residents
  • Befriending for older people who live on their own or in isolation
  • Gardening and handyman services, providing help from trusted workers to people who need it

The charity also provides a comprehensive volunteer service to help local people become involved in volunteering.

At the hub:

  • Mondays 11.15am to 4.30pm
  • Wednesdays 10am to 1.30pm

To contact VAEF:

More information

Menu
COVID-19 Plan B measures lifted
+