A change in one person’s personal circumstances can very quickly lead to negative consequences on the lives of other family members.
When Tom lost his job unexpectedly, things took a rapid downturn for him and those closest to him . Life changed so suddenly and dramatically that Tom became depressed and in addition, the landlord of the home Tom rented with his wife and daughter, initiated plans to evict them.
Tom does not have English as a first language and with no access to the internet, he felt overwhelmed and powerless to turn things around on his own.
After contacting Advice Kingston, Tom was supported in making an application for Universal Credit and appointed a caseworker to help with his money issues and residency rights.
During the six week period that we had regular meetings with Tom, we were able to consider his circumstances in detail and at a pace that he found helpful. At the end of this period, Tom had been able to secure his benefit entitlement, arrange a repayment plan with creditors, obtain compensation from his former employer, apply for Social Housing and start work in a new job.
Who we helped last month:
305 clients
215 people with quick queries
458 people used our information room and reception
2386 people used our online self help materials
40% of the problems people had were related to welfare benefits
10% of the problems were debts
13% of the problems were housing
Don’t forget our Help to Claim Universal Credit Project for local people who would like assistance to submit their claim online, They can phone the national number – 0800 144 8444 and either the question will be answered there and then or we will book an appointment with one of our specially trained team
