Community Housing’s new Tenancy Sustainability team work to support their customers and ensure they are claiming all benefits they are eligible for. Using the Better Off Calculator, the team has helped their customers to boost their income by £1.3 million.
Community Housing’s good news story of 2022
I have worked in partnership with Policy in Practice for nearly 3 years and the Better Off Calculator is an important tool in supporting tenancy sustainability. As soon as I started my new role with Community Housing, I ensured that it was available for our customers and colleagues.
Policy in Practice provides invaluable information to advisors working in income maximisation and are always up to date and on trend. I never miss a webinar!
Beverley Hiden, Tenancy Sustainability Team Leader, Community Housing
Learn more about Community Housing’s good news story
The Tenancy Sustainability team is a brand new team of 3, with 2 members new to the organisation. We have had to familiarise ourselves with working for an organisation new to us, and develop new procedures for working in partnership with other teams.
We have discovered that many of our customers are under-claiming benefits, and referrals to our team are increasing as we market our service and promote our successes. I think we can say we have hit the ground running.
We also launched a Wellbeing Fund on 1 June to help customers with energy costs, food, and other essential items. We have had over 300 applications, most of which have led to support with claiming benefits. This added to an already heavy workload.
The Community Housing Tenancy Sustainability team was set up in June 2022 with a key focus on money advice alongside other support. We wanted a tool that would help us to quickly and accurately allow us to provide welfare support to our tenants, and so we licensed the Better Off Calculator.
With the Better Off Calculator we have been able to support 777 customers to date, with benefit advice, claims, access to grants and other funding, and other general support.
We have increased their annual income by £1.3 million so far. This is an amazing feat for a brand new team of 3, and as Team Leader I am so proud of our hard work and commitment and the passion for what we do.
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customers supported in the first six months