Worried about your finances? Our Income Management Team is here to help

This week (22-28 March) is Debt Awareness Week – an annual campaign organised by debt charityStepChange to help more people find debt help when they need it.

A year after the first lockdown was announced, many people are feeling the financial impact of the pandemic, but if you’re a Salix Homes customer worried about your finances, then our Income Management Team is here to help.

Sharon Simmonds, income manager at Salix Homes, said: “Lots of people are struggling financially at the moment. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and we would encourage customers to contact the team if they are experiencing financial difficulties. We are here to support them and will do what we can to help.”

If you are struggling to pay your rent or are experiencing debt issues, there’s lots of ways that our Income Management Team can support you:

• Discretionary Housing Payment – we can assist customers in receipt of Housing Benefit (HB) or Universal Credit (UC) to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from Salford City Council. This is an extra amount of money to help pay your rent. DHPs are not benefits and no-one has an automatic right to payment. They are awarded at the discretion of the council.
• Salix Hardship Fund – we can assist customers to apply for a Hardship Fund payment of up to £250 to help towards paying rent arrears or towards removal costs where it will be financially beneficial for a customer to downsize to a smaller property.
• Salix Recycling Scheme – we can refer customers to this scheme who are struggling with the expense of buying furniture or white goods. These items are provided free of charge to customers who need them (subject to availability)
• Foodbank vouchers – we can raise Foodbank vouchers for customers who are struggling to pay for food.
• Referral to external agencies– we can refer customers with more complex needs to specialist support agencies such as Citizens Advice or Welfare Rights
• Carry out income and expenditure assessments – we can ensure that customers are claiming all the benefits they are entitled to.
• Challenge Benefit decisions – if an error has been made, we can support you to challenge the decision.

During the past year alone, our Income Management Team has helped secure an additional £74,000 in benefits for customers that they were entitled to.

Sharon added: : “We calculated that one of our new customers would be £400 better off each month if she claimed for Universal Credit instead of Tax Credits. This customer is now able to budget and manage her finances better with the extra income she is getting.

“Another tenant recently lost her job and said that her UC ‘literally goes in and straight out again’. The income management officer was able to help this lady to apply for a Salix Hardship Fund payment, DHP and a council tax reduction. This has given her some relief while she looks for her next job.”

If you are struggling to pay your rent or bills and need advice or support, you can contact our Income Management Team on 0800 218 2000.