Helping our customers with benefits advice and help

With the country in the grip of a cost of living crisis, we understand how household finances are being stretched and the challenges that this brings. This is why we offer a range of support with a view to easing that burden.

Our staff supported 2,564 residents with arrears, benefit issues and financial difficulties.

Our Welfare Benefits team is here to provide advice and support to help you understand the benefits system. Between April 2020 and March 2021, we helped Swan residents gain an more than £1million in benefits that they may not have otherwise received.

We are here to offer advice and assistance specific to your circumstances, whether it’s about applying for welfare benefits, managing your budget, or dealing with debt. We can help you to identify where you may be eligible for certain benefits, assist you in claiming, and if necessary, we will represent you at appeal tribunals. Our team can provide information and support about the changes to the benefit system due to the Welfare Reform including the social size, benefit cap and Universal Credit. Sometimes we will support you by directing you to another agency that can best support you.

4,459

In 2021/22, we contacted 4,459 customers with financial difficulties; 653 more than in 2020/21.

241

We supported 241 customers to apply for Discretionary Housing Payments totalling more than £150,000 to cover their rent shortfall.

20

20 Swan Hardship Fund payments awarded during the year including towards items such as food, utilities and travel costs.

Case study

Welfare benefits team step in to help disabled customer get benefits reinstated

Our Income team referred Ms S to our specialist Welfare Benefits team as she had high levels of rent arrears and she was not responding to our letters about this. A member of our Welfare Benefits team contacted Ms S and they discovered that she is severely vulnerable, with both mental and physical health issues. She was confused as to why her Housing Benefit claim had been suspended and then cancelled.

A member of our dedicated Welfare Benefits team looked into Ms S’s situation on her behalf. They discovered that Ms S’s benefit entitlements had been cancelled because additional information was not provided because of her disability and Covid-19 restrictions. Ms S does not have internet access nor digital skills to manage her benefits online. She was also unable to obtain assistance or guidance from local benefit advice agencies or organisations.

Ms S was advised to apply for Universal Credit (UC) to receive additional assistance under new regulations. However, she refused to claim UC because of her disability as this could have resulted in her receiving less money overall.

One of our dedicated Welfare Benefits Officers appealed the decision to cancel Ms S’s benefit entitlements. They applied for a late reconsideration appeal to reinstate her Housing Benefit. The process took around three months.

The appeal was successful and the claim was reinstated and backdated. Housing Benefit of £122.15 per week was awarded to Ms S as well as a backdated lump sum payment of £3,298.32, which cleared her outstanding rent arrears.