One Stop - Accessing vital support

Most of the women we support feel like they’ve been pushed from pillar to post. They’ve been signposted to a number of different organisations when the support or capability isn’t actually available. As a result, it’s broken their confidence and they have stayed at home. They’ve given up on hope that they can improve their lives and wellbeing. Most of them are in such a dire situation where they are reliant on food banks or support from people they know to pay rent because they don’t know that they are able to apply for benefits that would help them with household costs. It is imperative that women who are struggling are made aware of the benefits that will support them and their families in the long term.

One woman we have supported came with her family from another country. Her husband was educated, in a well-paid job and they had children together. Her husband took control of the finances, and she was a full-time homemaker.

She came to us explaining that one morning her husband left and he wasn’t coming home. She just broke down because she had absolutely no idea where to start, what to do, what her rights were and what she was entitled to. She was worried about child maintenance and benefits to look after her kids. The tenancy of the house was in his name and she didn’t know if she could stay there or pay the rent. She was so upset and hurt.

We see so often from women we support that they lack confidence or they feel anxious or apprehensive about systems – like the benefits system – that are not familiar to them. Mental health is a big issue preventing women we see from accessing services. So are language barriers and lack of cultural sensitivity.

With the woman we supported, we went through everything with her, making sure she got Universal Credit, child benefits, making sure her housing situation was right and applying for discretionary housing benefit so she and her children could continue to live in her home, and we helped her successfully apply for personal independence payments.

Three months on, she is financially more secure and her mental health has improved. She was in a relationship where she was always being put down but now, because she has more understanding of what she is entitled to and how to apply for it, she feels like she’s got ownership and she’s in charge. She feels like someone now and she’s so happy. She said if it wasn’t for us, she doesn’t know where she’d be today. We were her lifeline.

What’s important for women in similar positions in our community is to be seen by somebody that can relate and be sympathetic. We get it, we understand how they must feel embarrassed or they feel they have let the community down by asking for help or they’re somehow tarnished by leaving their relationship or getting divorced. It’s about reassuring and moving forward, making sure that women are in a better financial position and are happy mentally and physically.