About us
Who we are
Citizens Advice York is an independent local charity affiliated with the national Citizens Advice, dedicated to providing free, confidential, and impartial support to people facing various challenges. We offer guidance on a wide range of issues, including debt, welfare benefits, employment and housing. Beyond advice, we provide practical assistance like completing complex benefits applications, helping clients appeal decisions, drafting letters, and negotiating with third parties such as landlords and creditors. Support is accessible through drop-in sessions in Central York, by telephone face to face appointments, as well as several outreach sessions around York, ensuring we reach those who need us most.
“They were a lifeline when I didn’t know where else to turn. They listened to me without judgment, explained my options clearly, and helped me feel in control of my situation again. I can’t thank them enough for the difference they made in my life”
We are an independent local charity affiliated with the national organisation Citizens Advice. Our work is powered by over 55 active staff and volunteers. Among them are 35 trained volunteers who provide around 80% of our front-line advice alongside a small professional staff team and 9 Trustees.
During 2025–26 we continued to focus on the complex challenges facing many people in York. Rising energy costs and housing insecurity created significant cost-of-living pressures across the city. As demand for our services grew, we worked to ensure that local residents could turn to CAY for free, confidential, impartial and independent advice whenever they needed support.
The advice we provide makes a real and practical difference. In 2025–26 CAY helped 7,100 local residents across our central drop-in at West Offices and 16 community outreach locations. We helped our clients claim over £2.5 million in previously unclaimed benefits and entitlements. We also managed or wrote off £2.4 million of unmanageable debt.
Latest Annual General Meeting
Our 2026 AGM will be held on 22 October 2026.
For our 2024 AGM the keynote speaker was Professor Rachel Wicaksono (Head of the School of Education, Language and Psychology at York St John University) on the topic:
‘The stories our clients tell us…’: Perspectives for CAY
on conversations with its diverse clients
CAY AGM October 2024 keynote speech slides
What our volunteers say
Have a look at what our volunteers say about us. This short video was made for us by students at the University of York: