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

Better Off Finance Ambassador Scheme Launch!

We’re so excited to announce that we’ve launched our very own Better Off Finance ambassador scheme. We’ve rounded up a group of money savvy individuals who are ready to shout out about the financial and employability support available across the Liverpool City Region.

Each ambassador has been through the Better Off Finance programme and has expert knowledge on how the programme can be used as a catalyst to begin thinking positively about the future. The ambassadors will be key to helping us reach people out in the community who are currently struggling, unaware of services that are available to them.

If you’ve recently been given support from Better Off Finance and would love to stay connected with us through the ambassador scheme, get in touch!

Without further ado, Meet your ambassadors...

Make sure to keep with us to see what our ambassadors are getting up to within the next couple of months. If you see one of our ambassadors out and about at any community events, be sure to say hello! 

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 0151 706 8111 or hello@thewo.org.uk to make a referral or for further information.

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

Understanding Benefits: Angela's Journey

In 2016/17, over £10 billion in benefits went unclaimed, meaning Britain’s poorest individuals and families were living below minimum standards. Amongst those unclaimed payments were income related employment and support allowance (ESA) and income support and housing benefits.

Looking for the reason people fail to claim benefits can be difficult, with broad factors being identified such as the effectiveness of the benefit, lack of awareness of the benefits available, application procedures and the stigma of receiving benefits.

Sometimes the barrier to getting the right benefits is having the support to properly understand what steps need to be taken next.

Better Off Finance key workers support individuals to understand their benefits, making sure that they are getting everything that they are entitled to. During a recent visit to Life Rooms, 60-year-old Angela was informed about the support available through her local Citizens Advice. Looking for support to gain more confidence and financial support, she signed up with Better Off Finance and met her key worker – Louise.

Through 1-2-1 support, Angela was able to start working through her money issues, along with getting support to improve her mental health. Not having worked since her 20’s, Angela was the primary carer for her parents who passed away within a year of each other, having a major impact on her health that left her hospitalised.

After losing several appeals for ESA support group and PIP,  her key worker Louise helped her to fill out forms and accompany her at meetings to make her feel more comfortable. She was able to be successfully reassessed and has now been given standard rate care PIP giving her an additional disability premium on top of ESA payments. Angela told us: “My income has gone from £102 per week to £253 per week and now I can manage my bills a lot better. Louise also helped me get warm home discount which reduces my electricity bill by £140 per year”

Now that Angela has an increased income, her anxiety levels have been improved along with her confidence “My confidence has grown a little, even though I’m still not well, I now can spot the signs and go back to my psychiatrist if I need to”

She’s now attending a writing group and has recently had her poems published, something which she puts down to her new found confidence.

Thanks to her increase in income, Angela is now able to worry less about the money she's got coming in and focus more on improving her mental health. Many vulnerable people still live on the poverty line today due to not knowing what they are entitled. You can check what benefits you're entitled to at your local Citizens Advice 

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 National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund as part of the Building Better Opportunities Initiative

From Carer to Employment: Joanne Works with RAISE to Boost Her Employment Opportunities

Leaving employment to become a full-time carer can be a tough decision to make, and with seven million carers currently living in the UK it’s a decision that many people have had to face. Whilst many find caring for their family a very rewarding role, financial matters can make it hard to continue. As many as 60% of people have used all their savings to cover the cost of caring and that’s only set to increase. 

Spending many years as the primary carer for her husband, Joanne approached RAISE for support in transitioning back into full time employment following his death. Since her carer role ended, she had been living off her savings and wanted to get back into employment but struggled with her lack of confidence brought on by the prospect of going back into interviews after so long.

The transition from carer back into employment can feel like a huge step, but with the support of her key worker at RAISE, Joanne was able to go through some simple interview techniques that she was able to use for a job interview she had coming up. Looking at the skills and interests she already had, she was able to tailor her job search around roles she had experience in and successfully get through to interview stage.

With continued support from RAISE, she was able to confidently attend her interview. Eagar to continue her personal development, Joanne's key worker spoke to her about what other courses she could have access to, and suggested she attend confidence building courses My Turn and Change it at The Women’s Organisation.

“I really enjoyed the courses, they were interesting, and it was great to interact with others. I would highly recommend the Better Off Finance programme to others”

Since the programme, Joanne has now moved into employment and is thinking about moving into her own home. She is now working with her keyworker to put together a typical budget for household bills and has been able to get advice on renting prices.

With the number of carers set to increase by 3.4 million in 2030, it’s more important than ever that there is support available for people thinking about becoming a carer or going back into employment.

For more information about caring you can check out the following resources:

https://www.carersuk.org/

https://carers.org/

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 National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund as part of the Building Better Opportunities Initiative