Helping support our customers with their finances

From changes to benefits, rises in utility bills, and a cost-of-living crisis, we understand that our customers’ priorities and financial commitments change frequently.

Our Financial Skills and Tenancy Sustainment teams provide free, confidential and independent advice to help customers assess and improve their financial situation.

The teams’ main outcome is increased tenancy sustainability, enabling our customers to stay in their homes.

In 2022/23 our Financial Skills and Tenancy Sustainment teams have:

• Worked with 1308 customers (980 of these are new customers)
• Secured £514,956 of extra benefit (backdated) as a result of support and or applications made
• Secured £31,532 per week of extra benefit for customers
• 277 court proceedings / evictions have been prevented
• Partners including Glasspool, Baron Davenport, League of Helping Hands, WED and Family Fund, and Children in Need have made charitable grants to the value of £63,421 for customers in need of white goods and other household goods such as beds and bed linen.

This year has been busy due to the cost-of-living crisis and additional work has been done with customers on budgets, to ensure they have claimed any reduction or discount they may be entitled to and to ensure that the energy/household support fund has been applied for.

Here’s a case study to show how we can help our customers

Due to a relationship breakdown our customer Jill was left to manage all the bills and household finances for the first time on her own.

We arranged a home visit to put Jill’s mind at rest, and we supported her through an income maximisation calculation. We were then able to advise Jill that she would be entitled to full Housing Benefit, council tax reduction and pension credits.

What was achieved with our support:

• £99.26 per week, full Housing Benefit paid directly to GreenSquareAccord
• £66.85 per week paid to the customer from pension credits with a back pay of £334.35
• A Council tax reduction in place reducing Jill’s payment to ‘0’

We were able to assist Jill through a very emotional time by supporting her with her finances which took some of the weight off her shoulders and made her feel like she could cope moving forward financially.

If you’d like to find out more about managing your money, accessing benefits and what to do about rising energy costs visit our website.