With the introduction of Universal Credit in 2013 and the changes taking place due to welfare reform, we wanted to ensure we could support our customers with the full journey in housing.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly added to our challenges. However, we can utilise the Better Off Calculator to support customers in ensuring they can access all the benefits they are entitled to during this period.

The calculator is easy to use and gives the bigger picture by incorporating both income and expenditure. This helps customers ensure they understand their financial position and the changes needed to help them sustain their tenancies. It is a tool that is simple to use and very effective.

We have definitely ensured people can afford the properties they apply for, and the calculator has helped sustain tenancies. It is now supporting people with better-off calculations via the new Employment Solutions Team we have just set up, it’s a good motivational tool.

I would say have a look at the tool, see it being used against what you currently use. It tells the whole story and helps the customer understand their own obligations; it empowers customers to think for themselves whilst getting the right support from us.

We know that more people need support now more than ever before. If we had known this at the beginning of 2020 we would have been able to ensure resource planning would have been better.

We want people to be aware of the success the calculator has had on people’s lives, to know how many people are better off as a result of doing a benefit check, and how it has improved our customer’s health and wellbeing. We believe the Better Off Calculator helped us with the South Yorkshire Financial Inclusion Awards earlier this year, as part of the South Yorkshire Good Credit Project.