Get help and support with money worries from Citizens Advice

Samantha:

• Was made redundant and struggled with her energy bills. She got into arrears over the winter
• Then found another job but she struggled to pay for both the arrears and her normal energy bill
• Then had her monthly energy charge raised by her supplier. She knew there was no way she would be able to afford the higher cost.

Samantha spoke to Citizens Advice and:

• They checked whether she was entitled to any more money
• They found she was entitled to a warm home discount and helped her apply for it
• They found she was eligible to apply for a Trust Fund - which could wipe out her arrears
• They completed the Trust Fund application on her behalf.

The Trust Fund application was successful and Samantha was delighted she was no longer in debt. She said she was very grateful for Citizens Advice’s help as she now feels she has a ‘clear slate.’

Andy:

• Had lived in a flat rented from a private landlord for over 5 years. It had damp and mould in many rooms, the flooring needed to be repaired, and there was crumbling plaster on some walls
• Had water flood into his home after the flat above his experienced a burst pipe. Water came into his living room through the ceiling and a light fitting and there was even more damp in the flat
• Contacted his landlord but they did not do anything. He did not want to face another winter of living in a cold, damp home and was fed up of sending his kids to school with clothes that smelled of damp.

Andy spoke to Citizens Advice and:

• He sent them pictures of the disrepair and a letter from his GP which explained how these problems in the flat were impacting on his health
• They dealt with his landlord on his behalf and reminded the landlord that they would be breaking the law if they did not maintain the property
• They helped him to register for social housing in his local area which would be much more affordable for him.

Andy’s flat is now properly maintained and much more comfortable.

Rachel:

• Lived with her two young children. She was made redundant and the Jobcentre suggested she should claim Universal Credit
• Was confused as she had never claimed benefits before and did not know what paperwork she had to provide to make her claim
• Wanted to get a new job as quickly as possible but needed to find a job that worked around her childcare arrangements
• Was worried that she was going to have to wait at least 5 weeks before she received her first payment as she said she was already struggling to manage
• Had no cooker, as hers had recently broken. She was waiting until she got a job to get it fixed or replaced and was spending a lot of money on microwave meals in the meantime.

Rachel spoke to Citizens Advice and:

• They explained Universal Credit and talked through some examples of how much Universal Credit she would receive depending on her wages when she moved back into employment
• They explained how to fill in the Universal Credit form online and what evidence she needed to provide
• They explained how to get an advance payment from the Jobcentre.
• They applied to a trust fund to get her a new cooker.

Rachel’s application for Universal Credit was successful and she got a new cooker through the trust fund, so she does not have to worry about how to feed her family.