Helping customers with finances

During this past year, our Community Support team have been working hard to help customers with their finances.

There has been no shortage of applicants needing support and this has been provided in many ways, from referrals to food banks to sorting essential items for the home. The team have helped distribute funding through four schemes in 2024/25 designed to target specific areas of need.

Here are just some of the actions we’ve taken to achieve positive outcomes for customers:

• Accessed over £14,000 via the ASH fund to help around 70 customers get essential items, such as cookers, washing machines and fridge freezers
• Arranged over £26,000 from the HACT energy scheme to give customers bundles of energy vouchers to help ease financial worries and provide peace of mind about bills
• Worked with local charity, Charis, to provide 306 applications with over £13,000 of funding for food and energy vouchers since April 2024
• Made referrals to a new fund, called Fusion, to clear almost £2,500 of customers’ debt
• Worked with Charity Link to award over £45,000 to help with PIP applications, debt write-off, and sourcing items from organisations such as Children in Need
• Referred customers to Housing Perks to secure over £2,000 in food vouchers and access to other shopping discounts since November 2024. Any NCHA customers can download the Housing Perks app to get savings throughout the year.

What we offer you

Our Community Support team are on hand to offer support to customers who are struggling with their finances and managing their home.

They offer help with budgeting and benefits, plus signposting to external support agencies, including support for people experiencing domestic abuse or those living through a period of ill mental health.

It’s all part of the added value we offer our customers, as part of our social impact pledge to invest in communities and improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing.

In need of support?

The team’s services are available to any customers who live in our affordable rent homes, specialist housing, almshouses and shared ownership residents.

If you’re a customer in need of support, please contact Your Community Coordinator in the first incidence.