Meet Thomas: Living Without Basic Home Appliances

In a 2018, Turn2us conducted a survey of 2,000 people earning below the national income and it was found that 49% of them were living without a washing machine along with other basic appliances. For people living without home washing machines, it is 2561% more expensive to use a launderette and can lead to a number of different issues in peoples lives. 

28-year-old Thomas, struggling with his confidence approached Citizens Advice Halton to get some support with food vouchers. After sitting down and speaking with him, Thomas shared that he had a mild form of cerebral palsy and due to not having a washing machine had to make regular trips to the laundrette with heavy bags which worsened his condition. 

Being declined a disability bus pass also meant that he was spending much more money than he could afford on the journeys. The effects of living without basic appliances can go beyond financial capability and can start to risk physical and mental health. Looking further into the full impact of living without basic appliances, many people in the survey spoke about the issue of cleanliness and the stigma of having to wear unclean clothing. Frequent handwashing was also leaving a negative effect on people’s lives with overall poor hygiene being a catalyst for depression and anxiety. 

Since joining Better Off Finance, Thomas has now been able to secure a washing machine in his home. “Now that I have a washing machine, I can see that my mental health & wellbeing has significantly improved”

Through 1-2-1 support and working through the programme with his keyworker Kerry, he began to work on his financial planning through budgeting and spending diaries and after reapplying for the disability bus pass was finally granted one for 5 years. He was also able to apply for warm home discount, a government scheme giving extra help to people struggling with energy bills and was awarded a £140 discount.

Thomas at Citizens Advice Halton

Thomas now feels like he’s turning a corner through the encouragement of the project: “I am more in control of my bills, Kerry set out a monthly plan and contacted creditors to set dates up for payments when I was paid my PIP and universal credit.”

Thomas now has a full-time job and is continuing to progress himself: “The best thing about Better Off Finance is the trust I had in my Key Worker Kerry to feel comfortable and not judged. I’ve told my sister about the project and she’s now going to sign up for support too”

If you're struggling with living without basic household items and you need some help, get in touch with us and we'll show you how we can support you. 

About us:

Better Off Finance is offering residents of the Liverpool City Region who are currently unemployed (although don't have to be claiming benefits), a bespoke programme of support. 

This support will be provided at a local community venue or at home if a participant prefers.

Each participant will be linked up with their own key worker who will support them to:

Improve their financial capability through 1-2-1 support and group work

Access employability sessions within the programme

Access a Level 2 Accredited ‘Money Mentor’ opportunity

Progress into training and education opportunities

Prepare and progress into sustainable employment.

Please contact us via our Facebook or Twitter pages to make a referral or for further information.

Better Off Finance is a program jointly funded by The Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund as part of the Building Better Opportunities Initiative

The Better Off Finance Project Has Launched!

800 Individuals Across Liverpool City Region Will Be Supported To Manage Money And Access Employment Through New Project; Better Off Finance

A Liverpool City Region wide programme which will offer support around money management and accessing employment opportunities launched on Thursday 26th January in Halton.

Better Off Finance is a £2.4 million innovative project funded by Building Better Opportunities via the European Social Fund and Big Lottery. Its aim is to connect with more than 800 residents from across the local authority areas of Halton, Knowsley, St Helens, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral. The project will provide support to people who are facing challenges moving towards or accessing employment opportunities, and those who, due to a lack of financial capabilities, face resulting barriers that can make it more difficult when trying to find and keep a job.

(From L-R) – Maggie O’Carroll; Chief Executive Officer of The Women’s Organisation, Hitesh Patel; Chief Officer of Citizens Advice Halton, Caryn Matthews; Chief Officer of Citizens Advice South Liverpool, Councillor Rob Polhill; Leader of the Halton Borough Council and David Parkinson; Policy and Learning Manager of Big Lottery Fund) 

 The project will offer support to individuals to improve the ability to manage their money better and gain skills to cope with changes in circumstances. Better Off Finance will also help residents across Liverpool City Region prepare and progress into sustainable employment as well as training and education opportunities.

At the Select Security Stadium Halton over 80 individuals from support services across Liverpool City Region heard about the project from Chief Executive Officer of The Women’s Organisation; Maggie O’Carroll and Caryn Matthews, Chief Officer of Citizens Advice South Liverpool, before it was formally launched by Councillor Rob Polhill, Leader of Halton Borough Council. The project is a collaborative effort and will be carried out by 11 different support agencies across the Liverpool City Region with The Women’s Organisation acting as the accountable body.

Hitesh Patel; Chief Officer of Citizens Advice Halton and Shelah Semoff; Partnership Officer from Halton Borough Council

Councillor Rob Polhill said of the Better Off Finance project: ‘I am very pleased that partners from across the Liverpool City Region have developed this innovative support package to help people improve their financial capabilities so that they can find and keep a job. I, and  my colleagues on the Combined authority appreciate the efforts of all those involved in its visioning and development and we are sure that it will make a huge difference to so many people lives and also create and effective model  of support.’

Maggie O’Carroll of The Women’s Organisation said about the project launch; ‘We believe that the Better Off Finance project is a new and innovative way of working towards helping people find employment and stay in employment. Looking at financial capabilities hasn’t been addressed previously and building an individual’s skills in this area is crucial to that.

We are delighted to be working with the partners on this project and are pleased that the Big Lottery fund and European Social Fund recognise that this is an important area that can be addressed for Liverpool City Region.’

Better Off Finance will carry out this crucial work over 2 years and will engage and connect with over 800 residents from across Liverpool City Region and help them, to progress into work.