Did you know, we have a whole team who exist to help you navigate the world of benefits and to help you keep on top of your finances?

We had a chat to two of the team, Jodie and Adrianne, to find out a bit more about the work of FIT, our financial inclusion team, and what they can do to help you.

It’s no secret that the cost-of living crisis has been affecting more and more people over the past few years.

Energy prices, food costs and the struggle to pay the bills is a real problem for too many people, and is something Jodie sees on a daily basis:
“We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people who need our help. It’s really difficult for people to keep afloat in these times.

“What the team and I try to do is support tenants to maximise their income. This can include benefits checks to make sure they’re claiming everything that they qualify for, providing things like food bank vouchers or referring them on to other agencies if they need more specialist help.”

It’s a busy team. In the last year alone, they helped almost 3,000 tenants make claims. This resulted in over £5.6 million worth of benefits being paid out that were otherwise going unclaimed. 

As Adrianne says, it’s important that tenants apply for what they’re entitled to:
“We don’t want tenants missing out. We know claiming benefits can be daunting and time‑consuming, so we’re here from the very beginning to guide them through it. Whether that’s ordering forms, gathering documents or submitting the claim, we’re there every step of the way.”

The team are also trained to support tenants with appeals:
“If someone has been wrongly denied a benefit, we can help challenge it. Appeals can be complicated, but last year 81% of our appeals were successful. If your claim is turned down, please come to us ‑ we can help.”

The benefits system can be confusing, with many different types of support available and varying eligibility criteria. It’s common for tenants not to realise what they can claim. FIT works through everything with them to make sure nothing is missed. This can include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Child Disability Living Allowance, Bereavement Support, Carer’s Allowance, and many other benefits.

“I also work on the Universal Credit (UC) side of things, making sure tenants receive the right amount of benefit. I help them to update their online UC Journal whenever there’s a change in their circumstances.”

For Jodie, it’s all about helping people before they get into serious difficulties:
“Unfortunately, we see a lot of debt amongst our tenants. Whilst we’re not licensed to give debt advice, we can, with their permission, pass their details on to specialist organisations and charities who can help and advise them. We just make sure we make them aware of their options. If we can’t support a tenant, we’ll try and find someone who can.

“It is important for tenants to know we are here. Whatever help they need they just have to get in touch with us. We’re always happy to meet them in their home or have a conversation over the phone, whatever suits them. Once tenants know we are there to support them, then it can be a great weight off their mind.”

Building trust with tenants is key to ensuring that Tai Tarian is best placed to help them, as Adrianne explains:
“We understand that tenants might be worried about telling us, their landlord, that they’re falling behind with their rent, but we are genuinely here to help if that happens.

“Asking for our help is easy. Just speak to a member of staff, whether that’s someone in the contact centre when you phone up, our social media team when you drop us a message or a trade who comes to carry out a repair at your home. Just tell them you need a bit of support, and they will pass your details on to our team and we will arrange help.

“We appreciate some people find it tough to talk about money worries, but the worst thing anyone can do is to bury their heads in the sand and hope everything will take care of itself. We’re here without judgement, just friendly faces offering practical help and advice.”

If you need the help and support of our financial inclusion team, then call 01639 506623 or e-mail financialinclusion@taitarian.co.uk in confidence.