Housing Officer helps reclaim money

Two Advance customers have got back on their feet financially, thanks to help from their Housing Officer.

Louise Chester, who has been with Advance for almost 6 years, worked with a customer in Birmingham to recoup over £7,000 after his benefits were cancelled while he was in hospital.

The termination of the customers’ money meant that he couldn’t pay his rent, something that was adding to an already distressing time with severe health problems and a prolonged hospital stay.

Thankfully Louise spotted the issue and stepped in to ensure his rent arrears were cleared and benefits reinstated following the mistake, even involving the local MP in resolving the dispute on behalf of her customer.

“It was a long battle to get it sorted, and took a lot of time and effort, but it was worth it to get the customer back in a good place financially where he and his family didn’t have to worry. They were very grateful and I was pleased to get it sorted.”

Working together

Another customer, this time in Leicester, was struggling to keep on top of their finances due to a combination of issues.

When Louise took over as his Housing Officer, she made time to sit down with the customer, over an hour and a half initially, helping him to understand the seriousness of his situation, whilst supporting him to take the necessary steps to resolve it.

With Louise’s help, he has managed to start paying off some of his debt, while a proportion has been written off and a huge £4,000 claimed back. “It’s had a massive impact on his life’ Louise says.

She continues: “He just needed to engage in what was happening and know that he had someone dealing with it alongside him; debt can be extremely isolating for anyone, let alone someone with a learning disability. I’m glad to have been able to help him.”