Emergency support with food and energy
Charlie came to Citizens Advice with no money for food and no credit left on her electricity meter. Her mental health was suffering after a relationship break up and she needed help to get on top of her situation. Our advisers helped her to access food and an emergency fuel voucher to get her electricity back. We also helped her look at ways of maximising her income (through benefits and tax credits) and minimise her spend (i.e. securing a better phone tariff and broadband deal).
Income maximisation to avoid a monthly negative budget
Cost-of-living increases meant Bobby wasn’t quite able to make ends meet each month, and when they came to us they didn’t think there was anything else they could do to reduce expenditure or increase income. We supported Bobby to access lower-priced utility tariffs, and the relatively small monthly saving of £32 meant they were no longer in a negative budget.
Overcoming debt and rent arrears
Our advisers recently supported Alex (who has learning difficulties) with his debts and financial capability. Following the death of a family member who had previously helped him manage his finances, Alex had got behind on his rent payments and owed money to his energy company. Our advisers helped Alex to understand his finances, access the welfare support that was available to him and get his existing debts written off.
Advice with financial independence following a separation
Jack contacted us for advice around leaving their controlling and emotionally abusive spouse, on whom they were financially dependent. We supported Jack to apply for social housing and make an application for Universal Credit. We also put Jack in touch with some local groups who could provide ongoing emotional support.
Challenging an unfair benefits decision
Rai has several health conditions and contacted us when their application for Personal Independence Payment was unsuccessful. We supported Rai to gather the appropriate evidence to challenge the decision, resulting in a PIP award which includes nearly a year of back payment.