Toynbee Hall

Toynbee Hall is an anti-poverty charity based in East London, established in 1884. We provide a wide range of free, independent advice and support services to people facing financial hardship, legal problems, and wider social exclusion.

Our advice services include debt advice, welfare benefits advice, legal advice, and money coaching, delivered through face-to-face, telephone, digital, and outreach models. A core part of our work focuses on supporting people in contact with the criminal justice system, particularly people in prison and those leaving custody, who are disproportionately affected by debt, benefit issues, housing insecurity, and financial exclusion.

We deliver advice services in prison settings and through community-based provision, helping people stabilise their finances, address priority debts, access income they are entitled to, and reduce the risk of reoffending linked to financial crisis. Our work is grounded in trauma-informed practice and focuses on improving long-term outcomes rather than short-term fixes.

Toynbee Hall is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and holds recognised quality standards for advice provision. The organisation works in partnership with statutory bodies, prisons, probation services, and voluntary sector organisations to improve access to justice and financial resilience.

This application is submitted by Matt Dronfield, Managing Director of Advice Services at Toynbee Hall, who oversees the organisation’s advice portfolio and strategic work across criminal justice, debt, and financial inclusion.