Rising cost of living

Rising cost of living – free support for our communities

As the cost of living is rising, it is placing a lot of pressure on households locally.

Across Warwickshire there is lots of support available to help with household costs including fuel and access to food, financial management advice, as well as access to free mental health wellbeing support.

We encourage anyone who is struggling or has any concerns to access the free support available.

Hardship support

There is support available across Warwickshire to help you with debt and benefits, housing advice, help with household costs and foodbanks:

• Hardship support leaflet
• Food and fuel support – Warwickshire County Council
• Citizens Advice, South Warwickshire – Fuel Poverty
• Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme
• Warwickshire Rural Community Council – Warm Hubs and Mobile Warm Hub
• Find your nearest foodbank
• The Community Pantry - When someone finds themselves in a place where they are struggling to make ends meet, a Community Pantry can help
• Shipston Food Bank
• Help for Households
• Severn Trent Trust Fund
• War on Waste - Shipston Facebook Group
• Act on Energy - To make a referral, you can do any of the following:

Contact Act on Energy Advice Line: 0800 988 2881

Complete a short, easy, online enquiry form: www.actonenergy.org.uk/contact-us/

Contact: Alvynne, Complex Case Worker, South Warwickshire

Telephone: 07458 306298 Email: alvynne@actonenergy.org.uk

Financial advice

Learn more about how you can improve your financial wellbeing and gain more control of your finances. You can also reach out to your bank and citizens advice bureau for advice:

• MoneyHelper - Find out what benefits you’re entitled to, how to claim them, when you qualify, and what to do if things go wrong
• The Money Charity - Financial Wellbeing + Financial Education
• StepChange Debt Charity - Free Expert Debt Advice
• Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s (SDC) online support form - referral form for Stratford residents asking a series of questions relating to finances, housing, employment and wellbeing, with referrals then generated to partner organisations
• Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK
• EntitledTo - Money Calculator
• National Debt Line
• Pension Credit
• Turn2Us Benefits Calculator
• Cost of Living Support

Budget planning

• Budget Planner - get to know where your money is being spent and how much you have coming in by tracking and recording
• The Bill Prioritiser - this can help people sort bills and payments in the right order and tell you what you need to do if you are struggling to pay
• Living on a squeezed income - this tool supports people to: keep track of spending; provides information on how to save money and cut back on cost, and details of extra support available

Mental health and wellbeing

• Warwickshire County Council – mental health and wellbeing support

• Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust – find help now
• Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training - free training for public-facing frontline workers within Coventry and Warwickshire
• Dear Life - Coventry and Warwickshire’s dedicated website to help you find support in a crisis or if you are worried about someone’s wellbeing but are not sure how to help them
• Amparo - offers practical and emotional support for anyone bereaved by suicide in Coventry and Warwickshire

Preventing damp and mould in your home

Please see a leaflet on preventing damp and mould in your home.