Carol recently had to seek alternative accommodation after a split from her husband. She was moved into sheltered accommodation but, having left with nothing, Carol had to spend the majority of her limited savings on necessary items for her new home. With a low income made up of state pension and pension credit, Carol struggled with the adjustment to being solely responsible for all household bills. Luckily, she had seen the support that her friend had received from Act on Energy and decided to get in contact.

In the first visit, David, one of our outreach officers, talked Carol through all the help that she was eligible for. He filled in applications for a variety of services available for a low-income household of pension age with health conditions, most of which Carol had no idea about. We pride ourselves on being able to network with other organisations, so that our outreach officers are able to signpost clients to as many avenues of support as is available to them. Finding the help that’s out there is half the challenge to our clients, so having someone to talk them through the options as well as help with applications, can make a huge difference in their ability to benefit from the support.

Through the range of applications that David was able to make, Carol was awarded with a number of different types of support. She received a fuel payment of £300 from the Worcestershire Household Support, as well as a total of £150 in fuel vouchers from Age UK. Friends of the Elderly provided Carol with a grant of £400 that went towards cooking essentials such as pots, pans, knives and even an air fryer to help with energy efficient cooking for one. These cooking items particularly came in handy when David was able to apply for 12 weeks’ worth of fortnightly food parcels from Carol’s local food bank.

Along with the short-term support that Carol received, David also applied for the Severn Trent Big Difference Scheme, which reduces the water bill of low-income households. Carol was approved, which led to a £200/year saving on her water bill. David also referred Carol to our in-house benefits specialist, Bal, due to her benefits not reflecting her recent change in circumstances. Bal got in contact with Carol and, after going through the full application process over the phone, she was able to correctly fill everything in and was later awarded with Low-rate Attendance Allowance and Severe Disability Premium totalling to an additional £72.65 a week.

After all this, Carol was relieved knowing that she could actually afford to live on her own. David had talked her through a range of energy saving measures she could implement, as well as gifting her a heated throw to keep her cosy through the Winter. This new place was starting to feel like home and her new life didn’t seem so scary.

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