Sometimes we all need a helping hand
Beyond our health and relationships, there’s nothing quite as important to us as our home, and being able to afford to stay in your home is about more than just rent - it’s about how we live, the support we can access and how we look after ourselves.
There are lots of ways we can help you and your household deal with the cost of living crisis. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to get started.
Supporting you with the cost of living
We recognise that getting the help you need can sometimes be harder than it should be. That’s why our teams are here to help you find the resources and support you’re entitled to. They can help you:
- Access financial support
- Review your household budget
- Apply for food bank or grocery shopping vouchers (assessed on a case by case basis)
- Move to a more affordable home
Working alongside our Housing and Customer Services team are two other teams who are here to help however they can.
Our Energy team can identify ways for you to save money on your bills, move to a new provider, and help keep your home warm this winter.
As we're not FCA registered we're unable to give debt related advice, but we can signpost you to other organisations who offer this support.
Financial support
No matter how big your home or how many people live in it, the amount it costs to keep it running are going up – for everyone. And while there is no telling when costs will go back down to normal, we can help you stay in your home and keep it affordable.
Running your household
We can help you look through your income and outgoings and see if there are any obvious ways to make things a little easier. Plus, if your appliances are old and not energy efficient, for example, we might be able to help you with newer ones which cost less to run.
Moving to a smaller home
If the number of people living in your home has gone down since you moved in, you might be able to save money by moving somewhere smaller. It could cost less to run as there would be fewer rooms to heat, and the rent may be lower too. Our Housing team can help you with this.
Click on the link below to learn more about finding a new home.
Useful links
The Government website has a wealth of support and information available. It includes details of where children can eat for free or at a very low cost, savings that can be made in various shops to help with the purchase of school uniforms, books and shoes. Information on support available from utility companies and much more.
Making a real difference
A safeguarding concern was raised about an elderly tenant who hadn’t been responding to our calls or letters regarding a repair. One of our Housing Officers visited the tenant at home, and she explained that bailiffs had been knocking on her door following a build-up of debt which left her scared to answer any calls. She had no way of paying off the debt and was cold, hungry and isolated.
Through the affordable for all fund, we purchased food for the tenant for the next few days and topped up her electric meter so that she could heat her home. We have since referred the tenant for further support and will continue to check on her and see how things are going.
Apply for help
Is there anything else?
For details on how to get in touch with us about anything else, head to Contact Us.