Financial Crisis - how and where to get help

We know that this has been a difficult time for a lot of our customers. Getting help to pay for things like school uniforms and replacing broken items particularly where you have had a drop in income or a change in circumstances can be very challenging. We recognize the link between financial wellbeing and good health and are here to help. Below is some information about getting help if you have worries about money: 

Mental health and money advice – click here for information and guidance on helping you understand, manage & improve your mental health and money issues. 

Here at Aspire, we have an award-winning Money Advice Team. They can help with things such as: 

• Claiming benefits 
• Debt awareness 
• Universal Credit 

You can also have a chat with one of our advisors – see our website for more information.  

Benefits and interest-free help  

It is important to access the help that you are entitled to. Find out more about Benefits and Tax Credits by clicking on this guide which provides an overview of the benefits system and what you may be able to claim. Luckily, there are also lots of online tools, like a simple calculator, that can help you to work out how much you may be entitled to in your benefit check. 

Benefit deductions causing a stop or reduction may happen, and you may wonder why and what to do if deductions from your benefit are causing hardship. It can happen due to: 

• Reporting a change of circumstances that means you will get less 
• You have been sanctioned 

• You’re earning more from work 

Get help from your local council with rent, hardship payments and discretionary housing payments:  

Newcastle  

Apply for help with council tax and housing costs - here  

Discretionary Housing Payment - here  

Council Covid 19 latest information - here  

Stoke on Trent  

Apply for help with council tax and housing costs- here  

Discretionary Housing Payment - here  

Council Covid 19 latest information – here  

Cheshire East  

Apply for help with council tax and housing costs - here  

Discretionary Housing Payment - here  

Council Covid 19 latest information – here  

Cheshire West  

Apply for help with council tax and housing costs - here  

Discretionary Housing Payment - here  

Council Covid 19 latest information – here  

East Staffordshire  

Apply for help with council tax and housing costs - here  

Discretionary Housing Payment - here  

Council Covid 19 latest information – here  

Help available when interest and charges are payable  

Credit cards need to be looked after and learning how they work can help you avoid things like struggling with credit cards debt. A credit score, also known as a credit rating, is a number that reflects the likelihood of you paying credit back – the better the credit score, the more likely lenders like the bank and credit card companies are of lending to you. So, taking action to improve your credit score is important.  

  The government have a ‘Breathing Space’ Scheme, made up of two types: 

• Standard Breathing Space 
• Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space 

It is a debt respite scheme that protects someone and gives them the right to legal protection from their creditors. 

If you have debts 

We call our Money Advice Team MAT. MAT is a small team of specialist money advisors who help people who have money problems. MAT is an Aspire Housing service.  

What can MAT do?  

MAT offers a free, confidential, and impartial service to Aspire customers. We also work with non-Aspire people who have children under our Money Smart Families project. 

Aspire Housing Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide specialist debt advice. Our FRN licence number is 672504.

In addition to debt advice, MAT can help people where there are problems with benefit claims and can help people to complete complex benefit forms.  

MAT also give guidance on money-saving ideas such as fuel switching, reducing water tariffs, getting cheap contents insurance etc.  

What does MAT need you to do?

• Bring along all paperwork relating to your finances – i.e., bank statements, debt letters, utility bills, benefit letters etc  
• Keep your appointments or notify us if you can’t (if someone repeatedly misses appointments without notice the service is withdrawn)  
• Tell us if you have a change in circumstances  
• Give us consent to store the information you give us securely under our data protection policy and to speak to people on your behalf (if you want us to)   

Who else can help you with your finances? 

We may on occasion need to signpost you to another advice agency or you may prefer to use them instead:  

Debt Advice  

Citizens Advice  - find your local service here  

Stepchange (online and telephone only): 0800 138 1111   

Web:  https://www.stepchange.org/Howwecanhelpyou.aspx  

National Debtline (online and telephone only): 0808 8084000   

Web:  https://www.nationaldebtline.org/  

Benefits Advice  

Citizens Advice  -  find your local service here  

Disability Solutions  North Staffordshire Medical Institute, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7NY: 01782 638300  

Web:  http://disabilitysolutions.org.uk/stoke-on-trent-disability-benefits-support-service/