Homemaker Southwest and Cornerstone Housing – Celebrating 15 years of partnership working

14/05/2020

Homemaker Southwest has been working, with tenants of Cornerstone since 2005.

Homemaker Southwest is an independent charity, they work with tenants to enable them to better manage their finances thus promoting independence.

They have assisted over 156 Cornerstone households.  Since 2012 they have achieved £244,213.90 in financial gains for Cornerstone tenants by ensuring they are in receipt of all the Welfare benefits they are entitled to, assisting them in the application and appeal process where necessary and negotiating debts solutions.  Through their support, since 2012, 23 tenants have been able to remain in their homes, preventing them from being evicted.

A case study from Homemaker of a tenant they have helped

The client lived on her own in a 1-bedroom Cornerstone flat.  She had severe mental health issues and had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.  She was referred to Homemaker for help and support surrounding her benefits and budgeting.

She found the appointments fairly stressful at times, she admitted she hadn’t been opening her post which had resulted in her missing important appointments.  We tailored the appointments to allow her to take things at her own pace.  Homemaker liaised with the Department of Work and Pensions in relation with her ESA application and wrote an in depth supporting letter to support her Mandatory Reconsideration for her Personal Independent Payment application.  This was successful alleviating the need to go to appeal and attend a tribunal which would have been extremely stressful and challenging for her.

As a result she was awarded £3,518.45 in benefit back payments and her weekly income increased by £124.55 per week.

We successfully submitted 2 charitable grant applications to enable her to purchase a new cooker.

The client was very pleased with the support and outcomes, she felt in a much better ‘place’ mentally, being better able to budget and manage her finances.  She was extremely grateful for all the help, understanding and time Homemaker had given her.

Here to help

We know it can be difficult to talk about your money worries but it’s better to get help rather than bury your head in the sand. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need a little help. Call us on 01392 273462 or email us mail@cornerstonehousing.net.