Financial Help and Advice

Helen and Louise, our friendly Financial Inclusion Advisors will work with you to help maintain your tenancy and improve your sense of wellbeing by providing you with guidance and support in the following areas:

• Navigate the benefits welfare system to maximise your Income.
• Help to reduce your energy costs
• Help to reduce other household bills
• Debts and budgeting advice and referrals
• Health and Wellbeing advice and referrals
• Look at available grants / funding options
• Saving money

You can book an appointment via your Customer Accounts Advisor, by calling Ocean on 01726 874450 or by emailing us at fia@oceanhousing.com . We will contact you back to arrange a suitable time with you.

Managing money can be a challenge when living on a limited budget. If you've fallen into debt, you don't have to cope on your own. Our team is on hand to help you get your finances under control.

Our Financial Inclusion Team can work with you to assess your situation and provide advice on getting you back on track. Our team work closely with other agencies and can help you to find the right solution for you and your money issues.

If you are struggling with debt don’t hesitate to contact our Financial Inclusion Team for advice and assistance. Telephone 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor.

Budgeting

If you always struggle to make ends meet, it’s time to work out a realistic budget you can stick to. In these uncertain times, working out a budget is even more important to help you make ends meet, cope with any emergencies and plan for your future.

Making a Budget: Once you take the time to work out your budget, it only takes a few minutes every week to review it and keep control of your money.

Your income and what you spend
Note down the income you receive; whether it's wages, benefits or other money coming in.

Make a list of all of the things you pay for on either a weekly or monthly basis. Be realistic, and don't forget things like car tax and Christmas and Birthdays, which you only pay for once a year. If you are struggling to think of everything, try keeping a spending diary, or making a note on your phone over of everything you spend for a period of a few weeks.

Online Tools and Information

The Money Advice Service has lots of information and tools to help you manage your monthly budget and Universal Credit claim.

Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert also has lots of useful information to help you stay in control of your money.

Apps
There are lots of free interactive tools online and available for smartphones, all designed to help you keep track of your spending. As new ones are being developed on a regular basis, our Financial Inclusion Team can provide suggestions on the most current.

Our Financial Inclusion Team can help you compile your budget and offer advice on maintaining it. They can also offer you expert help and guidance with benefit concerns, debt, utility bills and other household expenditure.

To contact our Financial Inclusion Team, please telephone 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor.

Energy

We know that rising energy prices are a real cause for concern for many of our residents.

We have put together a useful Energy factsheet which provides information and advice on the various ways to save energy and in turn reduce your bills.

We are working with two local partner agencies who offer a free, impartial service to support households save energy and reduce their fuel bills. In some instances, they are also able to provide limited financial support.

They can help you:

• understand your fuel bills and manage any fuel debt
• find out who your fuel supplier is and make sure you are on the cheapest tariff
• access energy-related benefits and grants such as the Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payment.

Please contact our Financial Inclusion Team who will be happy to discuss your circumstances, provide advice and if required make a referral to our partner agency for support.

To contact our Financial Inclusion Team, please telephone 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor.

Community Energy Plus

Provides householders in Cornwall advice and assistance on energy efficiency and saving, working to tackle fuel poverty.

Telephone Helpline    0800 954 1956

Website https://www.cep.org.uk/

Energy Saving Trust

Provides online advice on saving money on energy bills at the same time reducing carbon footprint.

Website https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/

Food

As food inflation begins to bite, we’ve seen a steady increase every month on the amount of money that tenants are spending on food.

Your food shopping is one of the biggest costs you have to budget for. By looking for ways to save money, you may find increased food costs easier to deal with.

Please see our Food fact sheet for money saving advice and tips to help reduce your expenditure on food.

If you’re trying to pay off debt or have a limited income, you may be considering cutting your food costs down by a drastic amount. Please don’t do this, try to follow the tips below as your wellbeing always come first, and that includes being able to eat healthy and filling meals.

If you are struggling to purchase food, please contact our Financial Inclusion Team on tel. 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor

Money and Food Saving Tips

1. Regularly check what food you have in stock

The best way to save money on food is to base your meals around what you have already. It can help you spend less on food shopping, because you’ll only buy the items you need.

Take note of any tinned foods you have, as well as any dried foods such as rice and pasta. It also helps to know what seasoning and sauces you already have. Keep your cupboards tidy so you can see what you have in stock quicker. Don’t forget to check your freezer as well.

2. Cook everything from scratch to make food cheap

Do you sometimes pop to the supermarket to pick up an emergency ready meal? Do you find yourself tempted by a cheeky takeaway more often than you’d like? You probably don’t need us to tell you that this can cost quite a bit over time.

If you spent just £15 on a takeaway once a fortnight that’s a whopping £390 a year you could be saving instead. That could be money you set aside for an emergency.

There are several great benefits to learning how to cook staple meals from scratch. Not only is it often cheaper to cook your meals yourself, you can then freeze these extra portions to eat another time.

3. Reduce your meat consumption

Lots of people are reducing how much meat they eat because of the health and environmental benefits, but it’s a great idea for your wallet too.

Popular meats such as chicken breast and lean mince can be expensive, so there’s significant savings to make by at least having a ‘Meat free Monday’.

4. Make a meal plan

Planning every meal sounds like a chore, but it’s a 15-minute job once a week, and it’s been shown to save money. Just follow these steps:

Decide what meals you’d like to cook

• Make a list of the ingredients you’ll need
• Check your store cupboard to see if you already have some ingredients
• Shop for the ingredients you need
• Batch cook what you can (freeze what you’d like to use later in the week)
• Stick to the plan

5. Use supermarket coupons

As part of your meal planning each week, check to see if there are any coupons available which you can print off at home or use on your phone to get discounts on your ingredients:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/supermarket-coupons/

http://freestuff.co.uk/printable-vouchers/shops/

6. Stock up on cheap food basics

You’ll be amazed at what you can save on bulk buys and by picking up discount store basics:

• Stock up on spices and dried herbs they’re often better value for money
• Store cupboard favourites such as rice can be bought in large 10kg bags for as little as £10, compared to 1kg bags for £2-£4
• Chopped tomatoes can be as much as £1 per can at some supermarkets, but are as little as 25p in some discount stores.

7. Hit the reduced section

Everyone loves a cheeky discount don’t they? Don’t be afraid of checking out the reduced section and stocking up on useful items that are going out of date. You’ll sometimes find ‘dry goods’ with damaged packaging have discounts too – although these are often hidden away in a different area of the supermarket.

8. Downshift your brands

If you’re trying to budget then you’ve probably already moved to a more better value supermarket, now you can consider changing the brand.

Drop down one ‘brand level’ on a product, testing it, and if you can’t taste the difference – buy that in the future.

Can you really tell the difference between the branded dried spaghetti and the value one? Cheap food doesn’t mean losing out on taste!

WATER

If you buy your water direct from South West Water and you are on a water meter, you may be eligible for one of the following social tariffs:

WaterCare: If you’re on a very low income and you or someone in your household receives means-tested benefits. The tariff offers a discount of 15-50% on your ongoing charges.

WaterSure: If a household member has a medical condition or there are 3 or more children requiring extra water use in the property, you may qualify to have your annual water costs capped.

Watermeter Scheme: Having a water meter means you only pay for water you use and it puts you in control of your water use so you can take steps to reduce your bills.

To apply for a discounted water tariff from South West Water call 0344 346 1010 or visit: https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/bills/need-help-paying-bill/

Southwest water can offer payment plans to help spread the cost of your bill and provide a range of support for people in debt or struggling to pay their bill.

 Council Tax

Council Tax Support helps pay for your Council Tax if you are on a low income. It may cover all or some of your Council Tax depending on your income and savings, and your circumstances. If you or your partner have savings over £16,000 you will not be able to get Council Tax Support unless you receive Pension Credit guarantee credit.

To make a claim:

Telephone Cornwall Council on: 0300 1234 121

Claim online: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/council-tax-support/apply-for-council-tax-support/

There may be further help available through making an application for Exceptional Relief to provide assistance towards the shortfall between Council Tax Support and the full Council Tax liability.

Claim on-line: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/council-tax-support/exceptional-relief/

Broadband

A strong reliable broadband connection is now as essential to families as almost every other household utility. It’s crucial for children to be able to learn from home, it’s extremely useful for job hunting, and helpful for getting shopping done and keeping in touch with loved ones. Many broadband providers are now offering social tariff deals for customers receiving Universal Credit or other financial support.

To check out some of these social tariff broadband deals visit:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/social-tariffs

MOBILE:

Vodafone offers VOXI for now, a mobile social tariff for customers on certain benefits. They offer monthly contracts for £10 and includes unlimited 5G data as well as unlimited calls and texts. There is no contract or credit check and customers can pause or cancel at any time.

Please visit: https://www.voxi.co.uk/for-now

There can be times in all our lives when we need a little extra help with our health and wellbeing. If you are looking for support with your mental health and wellbeing, there are some great organisations and advice out there. Here are a few we recommend:

Mind give general advice about mental health and signpost to the right support.

Visit                 https://www.mind.org.uk/

Telephone      0300 123 3393 or TEXT 86463

NHS Mental health Support  24/7 NHS mental health response line for support and advice. Support is available to anyone, regardless of age. All day every day.

Visit                 https://www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/mental-health-crisis-cornwall/

Telephone      0800 038 5300

Outlook Southwest (Cornwall Partnership with NHS Foundation Trust) offer Psychological therapy services for people aged 16+. They offer help with difficulties such as stress, low mood, worry, anger, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, post traumatic stress disorder.

Visit                 https://www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/outlook-south-west  -

Telephone      01208 871905 between 9am to 4pm.

Pentreath promotes good mental health through personal development, education and employment. They support recovery from ill mental health and develop opportunities for people to meet their potential for happy and productive lives. They offer outreach, one to one coaching and support to help you achieve your goals.

Visit                 https://www.pentreath.co.uk/

Telephone       01726 862727

We understand that benefits can be complex and you might not be aware of the wide range of benefits you may be entitled to.

Our specialist Financial Inclusion Team can provide information and advice to our tenants, on the whole range of welfare entitlements including Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, the various disability benefits, together with legacy benefits.

Our team work closely with other agencies, so even if you are claiming the money you are entitled to, they may be able to help you to access other types of help – including debt advice, energy efficiency advice and other support needs.

To contact our Financial Inclusion Team, please telephone 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor.

 A step-by-step guide to applying for Universal Credit

Use this handy tool to work your way through the Universal Credit application process.

https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/

Council Tax Support

Universal Credit replaces 6 benefits, but this does not include council tax support. You must apply separately for any support. You can get in touch with us if you require assistance, or you can apply directly online to Cornwall Council.  https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/council-tax-support/

It can be very difficult to have a council tax support entitlement backdated, so when you migrate over to Universal Credit remember to apply for council tax support.

Pension Age Benefits

Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over state pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit is separate from your state pension.

To make a claim visit: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit

Telephone: 0800 99 1234

Housing Benefit helps pay for your rent if you are on a low income. If you or your partner have savings over £16,000 you will not be able to get Housing Benefit unless you receive Pension Credit guarantee credit.

To make a claim visit: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/housing-benefit/

Telephone: 0300 1234 121

A strong reliable broadband connection has become an essential utility for the majority of households. It provides a crucial links to assist in a child’s learning, job hunting, shopping as well keeping in touch with loved ones.

There are a number of organisations within Cornwall who can assist with digital skills and access to the internet.

Cornwall Council’s Digital Inclusion team help people get on-line and assist with building up confidence to use on-line services.  Please visit their website for more information https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/people-and-communities/digital-inclusion/

Inclusion Cornwall work to ensure that residents in Cornwall can access on-line services quickly and easily, whether they are on-line or not. They respect people’s decision not to be using on-line services, and ensure they can still access those services by other means.

https://inclusioncornwall.co.uk/digital-inclusion/

Volunteer Cornwall can help residents become more digitally included through their various projects:

• Community Makers – They are dedicated staff working in the communities of Cornwall to encourage Voluntary action. As they know and understand the network of voluntary and community groups in their area they can direct you to the most local and appropriate support, depending on your needs.
• Social prescribing – Your healthcare professionals can refer you to your local Social Prescriber who can provide support in a nonclinical way to help improve your health and wellbeing. https://www.volunteercornwall.org.uk/projects

Cornwall Neighbourhoods for change (CN4C) work to bring communities together. They can provide support to access digital services, job searching, learning and skills training, access to social groups, wellbeing activities including allotment and cooking courses, together with crisis support.

They have community Hubs at:

The Elms, 61 Green Bank Lane, Redruth TR15 1LS

Community Bank at St Austell, 5-7 High Cross Street, PL25 4AF

https://www.cn4c.org.uk/

Citizens Advice have various help hubs located across the county, which provide greater access to Citizens Advice Services. The hubs have computers and internet phones where you can find information about your issues and hold a face to face on-line session with an advisor.

The digital hubs are located in Libraries, community centres and foodbanks and are open for everyone to use.

https://citizensadvicecornwall.org.uk/get-advice/

Text ‘ADVICE DIGITAL’ to 78866

Ocean Housing want to ensure help is available to our customers, ensuring they stay safe and well. For the last two years we have established our own Hardship Fund which our tenants can apply to when experiencing financial hardship.

Our funds are limited and the maximum grant per household, depending on circumstances is £350.00.

To make an application to the Hardship fund, please contact our Financial Inclusion Team who will be able to discuss your circumstances and undertake a financial assessment to support your application.

To contact our Financial Inclusion Team, please telephone 01726 874450, email FIA@oceanhousing.com, or speak to your Neighbourhood services officer or Account Advisor.

If you are having problems paying your rent, service charges or bills, you can talk to one of our Customer Accounts Advisors. They can take an overall look at your money problems and find ways to help.

Talk to us – Benefits advice

If you are affected by the Bedroom Tax, Welfare Reform or Universal Credit, call our Financial Inclusion Advisors  .

Our Financial Inclusion Advisors are here to listen and help.

They can review your benefits and work out whether you are eligible for a Discretionary Housing Payment or other financial assistance.

The Financial Inclusion Advisors will look at the bigger picture, working with individuals and families to find solutions to problems. If it means you will need to move home, you will need to register for HomeChoice or HomeSwapper we can assist with identifying if there is possible funding to help with removal costs.

Email help@oceanhousing.com

Tel 01726 874450

Further Advice

You can contact national agencies for confidential advice:

StepChange

StepChange Debt Charity (formerly CCCS) is the UK’s leading debt charity dedicated to assisting people in financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic debt advice.
Debt problems can happen to anyone. StepChange are here for everyone.

Website
 Tel 0800 138 1111 (Freephone including all mobiles)

Citizen’s Advice Bureau

Citizen’s Advice Bureau helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

Website
Tel 08444 111 444

National Debt Line

This helpline provides free confidential and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems.

Website
Tel 0808 808400 (Freephone)

On their website you can:
• Download their information pack to deal with your debt problems.
• Use their personal budget section to work out what repayments you can afford.
• Use their suite of sample letters to write to your creditors.
• Visit their debt advice section to get information that may help you deal with your debt problem.
• Access their library of factsheets, guides and review packs.
• See if you can pay your debts via a Debt Management Plan(DMP)
• See if you qualify for a Debt Relief Order
• See What options you have for dealing with your debts?
Your home is at risk if you fall behind with your rent and do not contact us to make arrangements to repay the debt.

Money Helper

Money Helper is a free, impartial and comprehensive money advisory service. It is a first port of call for all things ‘money’ and the website is really easy to use.

Website

Benefits Help & Support

You can keep a track of your payments using our text service just text any of these commands to our new text number:

07520 632741

BAL – for a balance enquiry
PAY – to find out about your last rent payment
CARD – to order a replacement payment card
RENT – If you require some help and would like us to call you back

Pay by telephone

Allpay 24hrs Automated Service - 0330 041 6497

Ocean Housing - 01726 874450