The Financial Inclusion Service is available to help tenants or prospective tenants deal with all benefit problems, debt problems, welfare reforms and provide general advice and help with money.

• To find out what benefits tenants or prospective tenants are entitled to.
• To advise or assist with claiming state benefits.
• To assist with claim forms if tenants or prospective tenants have difficulties with them.
• To write letters seeking review and appeal.
• To advise on negotiating with creditors.
• To give budgeting and money advice.
• Information and assistance on fuel supplies and utility problems.
• To advise on availability of suitable financial services.
• To advise on welfare reforms and the bedroom tax.
• To tell you more about and assist you with claiming a Discretionary housing payment.

Tenants can get advice on any state benefit and tax credit. However for housing benefit queries tenants should contact own Income Team first. The range of benefits include:

• Incapacity Benefit
• Income Support
• Job Seekers Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Disability Living Allowance
• Discretionary Housing Payment

It is especially useful to contact the service when you have a change of circumstances such as:

• You are starting a new job
• There have been relationship changes
• There has been a berevement Your health deteriorates

• A widowed pensioner who had been told she could not get Housing Benefit because she had savings of over £16,000 and was not entitled to Pension Credit. “I had been paying my rent out of my savings for some time. When I had a visit from a Financial Inclusion Officer he was able to advise me to claim Housing Benefit and get it backdated to the time my savings went below the £16,000 limit. I gained £73 per week and £3,400 in backdated benefit”.
• A tenant suffering from severe depression and barely able to go out of the house alone. “I was helped to claim a low rate of Disability Living Allowance and gained £16.50 per week”.
• A tenant was asked by the local authority to repay an overpayment of Housing Benefit of £1,400. “The Financial Inclusion Officer helped me prove that for most of the time the error had been on the part of the Housing Benefit Department and that there was only £295 that they could legally recover”.
• Our tenant was a single mother looking at getting back into work. She had been offered a job 20 miles away. She came to us to find out her entitlement to working tax credits and to work out a new household budget. Once travel expenses had been factored in, the tenant would in fact be £20 per week worse off. She waited three months and was eventually able to secure a job closer to home.

The Association has a Tenants’ Welfare Fund which can be used to reduce hardship for tenants and to help sustain tenancies. The budget is to help tenants who are experiencing hardship and who are struggling to maintain their tenancy as a result.

There is a limited amount allocated to each office to which residents can apply. There is a short form that we would have to complete with you.

A referral may be made to one of our Financial Inclusion Officers for further advice and assistance if it was felt that this would be of benefit to the applicant.

A decision on the application would be made within 5 working days. There are some criteria which have to be met before payment can be approved. Some examples are set out below, however, if you would like more information you can contact us. 

• The applicant has been refused funding from mainstream sources of help.
• Awards are not made against rent, arrears, recharges or court costs owed to the Association.
• If an existing tenant, the applicant should usually have conducted their tenancy in a satisfactory manner.

The Association works with Aon and Norwich Union to offer low cost home contents insurance to tenants.

If you would like an application pack which includes information about premiums please contact us and we will send you an application pack.

You can contact us using callconnect 0845 505 3355 or mobileconnect 0300 111 1133.  If you are receiving support you can speak with your Support Officer or if you are living in sheltered accommodation you can contact your Scheme Manager.

If you wish to get additional FREE impartial advice you can contact other organisations such as:

Consumer Credit Counselling Service

Freephone helpline open 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday

T: 0800 138 1111

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service is a registered charity whose purpose is to assist people who are in financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic advice.

National Debtline

Monday to Friday 9am - 9pm

Saturday 9.30am - 1pm

T: 0808 808 4000

Citizens Advice Bureau

Advice is available face-to-face and by telephone at your local CAB office. Visit: www.citizensadvice.org to find your nearest office. A member of Adactus staff would be happy to find this information for you if you do not have access to the internet.