We’re here to support you when life gets difficult, or when you need help with certain things, such as maintaining your tenancy or support with money advice and benefits.
Mary’s* one of our over 55s customers who’s lived in one of our homes since 2009. Due to some personal issues, Mary had been having difficulty managing her finances and as a result, had been struggling to pay her rent.
After being referred to our older persons support service, Mary’s Neighbourhood Officer and one of our income officers came together to ensure her needs were met and support her with her finances. This included helping her to fill in forms and advising her on her rights and responsibilities. Together, the teams worked to maximise Mary’s income and help her to manage and sustain her tenancy.
As part of our support, we helped Mary secure just over £2,000 in Discretionary Housing Payment. Our income recovery team went further to challenge the amount granted, as this was unfortunately not enough to clear her debt or allow her to remain in her home. The council agreed to clear the debt in full, amounting to just over £5,500. This meant Mary was able to stay in her home, and with her home now no longer at risk, she’s also been able to offer her home to her daughter and grandchild too. This has removed them all from the housing register, which helps to reduce waiting times for other applicants and has meant that Mary and her family haven’t had to relocate.
We’ve also been challenging the amount of Universal Credit awarded to Mary and working to backdate payments to cover her rent account. This means future benefits can be awarded to help pay her rent in full. As a result, Mary’s now alleviated of the stress of potentially losing her home and can focus on managing her own health conditions.
If you feel that you or someone in your household would benefit from our tenancy support services, or if you’re looking for some help or advice, please contact us. Alternatively, please visit our support and advice web page for more information on how we can work with you.
*Name changed for data protection purposes.
