The Trust Launch Money Support Service
13 July 2010
The Trust's newly launched Money Support Service, as you would
probably expect, largely deals with customers who have fallen into
arrears. We negotiate payment agreements with customers and often
provide crucial information around financial issues at a time when
some people can feel out of control with their finances. Our aim is
to prevent customer debts from increasing, contact customers who
have fallen into arrears early to see if there is anything that we
can do to help, and to collect income due to the Trust.
Helping customers could mean negotiating a payment agreement,
referring to debt advice specialists, or carrying out checks to
asses if you may be entitled to benefits. Where customers are not
in arrears, but are worried that they may fall into arrears due to
financial concerns, we welcome contact as soon as possible so that
we can see if we may be able to offer any guidance.
We have helped lots of people in the past, sometimes helping
customers to obtain large backpayments of Housing Benefit. On
occasions, this has meant that customers have cleared large rent
arrears. In some instances, our support and help has prevented
families from losing their home.
The service is made up off staff who are office-based and mainly
provide support to our customers on the telephone and we also have
staff who are based within your neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood
staff members offer a home visit service to customers on a whole
range of financial issues. We may visit customers who are
experiencing financial difficulties or whose rent arrears are
escalating to a point where we may need to take legal proceedings.
We may also visit if there is a small static debt, or if we have
been contacted to advise that Housing Benefit payments have been
cancelled. Additionally, we visit all new tenants in their homes to
introduce the service and visit customers to discuss any changes in
circumstances that may impact on the rental position of the
household.
Basically, if you need a visit in your home, at a date
and time convenient to you, about anything concerning your rent
account or financial position, we are more than happy to provide
this.
Let us introduce your Money Support Staff:
Sale, Altrincham and
Timperley
Bob Ward - Money Support Advisor and Team Supervisor
Catherine Beswick - Money Support Advisor
John Armstrong - Money Advice Visitor
Bob Nield - Money Advice Visitor
Old Trafford
Lisa Walker - Money Support Advisor
Tyra Ahmed - Money Advice Visitor
Stretford, Urmston, Partington,
Flixton
Abu Patel - Money Support Advisor
Gary Day - Money Advice Visitor
Angela Watterson - Money Advice Visitor
Delroy Grant - Money Advice Visitor
To compliment the Money Support Staff, the Trust are delighted
to welcome our first Welfare Rights Officer. Catherine will be
joining the service late July 2010 and will work with customers to
maximise their income levels from benefits and will help where
appeals are needed. If you would like an appointment to see
Catherine, please contact your Money Support Advisor in the first
instance, who will discuss this with you in more detail. We are
sure that this addition to our service will prove fantastic in
terms of helping our customers to increase their income levels.
Also included within the team are two specialist officers.
Amanda is our Post Tenancy Money Support Advisor and is responsible
to work with former customers to reduce any debts that are
outstanding. We also have Maggie, a Financial Inclusion
Officer, who's role is to look at the local needs and demands of
our customers in terms of their financial capability, ie, bank
accounts, access to credit, etc. Maggie develops initiatives
to assist our customers in these areas.
If you would like a visit, or if you have any issues that the
Money Support Team could help with, please contact us. The sooner
we hear from you, the sooner we may be able to help. To speak to
any member of the team, please contact our Customer Hub on
0300 777 7777.