Almost A Third of Shelter Offices to Close

Cuts to legal aid are forcing the closure of almost a third of Shelter's housing advice centres and compelling the Red Cross to abandon its assistance for family reunions, the organisations claim.  The decision to close down nine Shelter offices across England this month, with the loss of 80 to 100 jobs, is blamed on the withdrawal of funding for legal advice and representation for routine housing claims from 1 April this year.  The British Red Cross says the cuts will force it to withdraw expert help to those trying to bring their children into the United Kingdom to escape violence or persecution abroad and has condemned the government's economies as an assault on "family life". Citizen Advice Bureaux are also sending out redundancy notices.  Read more on the Guardian website.