Easing anxiety around a financial situation

Our client is recently widowed, of pension age and lives alone in a council property. She is receiving hospice care for a terminal illness. We have been supporting this client with a water debt as she is digitally excluded and not used to dealing with household finances as this is an area her late husband attended to. 

Our adviser applied to SE water for the debt to be written off but was not successful. Our adviser negotiated a payment plan and minimal re-payment while a Helping Hands grant application was made. Client was turned down for the HH grant but invited to re-apply in September. LDCA issued £400 Huggg supermarket vouchers to the client to ease the household budget while the water debt remains unresolved.

 This has enabled her to make ends meet in the short term and eased some anxiety around her financial situation, which is very difficult for her to cope with alone and while under hospice care. While further support will be required to resolve this client's financial issues, the HSF payment has been a considerable help to her household budget and furthermore, in providing something positive during a very difficult time in her life, goes beyond its face value.