Cost of Living Crisis

The rising cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on many people’s financial situations. We’re very aware of the complexity of this situation and how the help people need will vary. Our Information & Advice Team are able to support you through this time, offering guidance themselves as well as sharing the support available from other local organisations. Our Information & Advice service is accredited to the national Advice Quality Standard.

 

Below you will find some of the ways in which we can assist you if you are concerned about yours or a loved one’s situation.

 

Checking you receive financial Support you are entitled to

Ensuring you are receiving everything you are entitled to is very important, many people aren’t aware of the money they should be receiving. Our Team will be able to discuss with you the different options available and guide you through any necessary application processes. We can provide support in whatever form suits you best: we can chat to you over the phone, send you information in the post or meet you in person.  

• Benefit Checks 
  These checks explore whether there are any benefits you could be claiming currently. Our Information & Advice Team can take you through this process and talk through the outcome. Dealing with benefits and claims can be confusing, we will ensure you know the next steps if there are unclaimed benefits you could be accessing.
  
  
• Attendance Allowance 
  If you’re over State Pension age (currently 66 years old for men and women) and you need help with your personal care because of a physical or mental illness or disability, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance. There is an application process which must be worked through for this. Our Information & Advice Team volunteers will be able to go through the whole application with you, aiming to show your situation as clearly as possible.

Schemes which could provide support

Navigating the help available can be confusing and overwhelming. Our team is aware of the latest schemes in place in Berkshire, what they offer and how to access them. We can be your first port of call if you aren’t sure what help is available to you.

• Warm Home Discount
  The Warm Home Discount provides a one-off payment to eligible customers to reduce their bills over the winter period. The final figure for support this year is yet to be released (currently this stands at £150). The money will act as a credit to your account, rather than paid to you directly, and will be paid between October and April.Changes are being made to the eligibility and claiming process for this winter, we will update you with information as soon as we have access to the final decision. Currently, people in receipt of the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit will receive this discount automatically, provided you or your partner are listed on the bill and that your supplier is part of the scheme. A list of the suppliers who are part of this scheme can be found here.
  
  If you do not fall in to this category, specifications for a wider group of people who can also qualify will be released soon as well as how to apply. Please keep checking this page for updates on this. To make sure that you are eligible to receive any Warm Home Discount this winter, now is a good time to check that you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to. As mentioned above, our Information & Advice Team offer a Benefits Check to help with this.

• Help with Water charges Reducing Energy cos

     Click here for details of help from Thames Water. 

Avoiding scams

Help with finding or staying in work

Our national charity partner, Age UK, provides information on:

• Looking for work
• Flexible working

The Government provides help and support for older workers, including Pensions and finance in later life; Managing health and disability; Rethinking retirement; Employment support for the over 50s

• DWP help and support for older workers

Explain complex processes and leading you to the correct contact for the assistance you need

Some support falls outside of our Information & Advice Team yet we are experienced and able to provide sources of information to help guide you through the systems in place. If you are unsure on your first steps, please get in touch with the team.