Winter help, resources, and support from Places for People
21 November 2023
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At Places for People, we understand that winter can be a difficult time for many of our Customers. As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, it's our responsibility to provide many forms of winter help to support you through this tough time. Whether you're struggling to keep your home warm, or the rising cost of living is forcing you to make difficult decisions about food – we're here to help you this winter.
We're also aware that, as a Customer, you might not know all the support from Places for People available to you. So, to help, we've created this handy guide.
Jump to:
Condensation, damp, and mould support
Heating vouchers
Warm spaces
Energy advice
Financial support
Food banks
Community projects
Damp and mould are issues that many people face within their homes, and they can be particularly prevalent during the colder seasons. However, many people don’t realise that the condensation they produce in their home from cooking, showering, or even breathing can contribute to the issue.
To combat this, we’ve created a range of content to help educate you on the slight changes they can make to reduce the chance of damp and mould while also signposting them to the resources available if they find it present in their home.
Customers living in Places for People rented homes should have already received the updated Condensation, Damp, and Mould Leaflet. It’s full of handy tips and tricks to keep condensation low and resources for dampness or mould in your home.
Alternatively, if you prefer digital content, we’ve created a range of helpful how-to guides and blogs like the ones listed below. You can also find more information on the Winter Toolkit page.
Keeping your home warm goes a long way when trying to prevent damp and mould in your home, not to mention keeping you comfortable through the colder months. However, we understand that funding your heating during winter can be difficult. That’s why we’re offering a range of resources to help you through winter.
One of these resources is heating vouchers. Following the overwhelming demand from last year, we’re helping some of our most in need Customers with heating vouchers. To learn more about this scheme call our Customer Contact Centre on 01772 667002.
A warm space in a designated area within our public building, like a library or leisure centre, that offers a free heated space during the day.
Following last year’s demand for warm spaces, we’ve decided to continue offering the service in several of our Communities. You can find your local warm space through Warm Welcome’s website.
From keeping your radiators warm to limiting the number of times you boil the kettle; we understand that many of our Customers are changing how they use their homes to prevent large energy bills. However, you don’t need to struggle on your own.
We’re offering a range of energy advice (like our energy myth-busting guide), financial support, and resource signposting for those who may be struggling with their energy bills this winter.
You can find more information on the support available here, or call our Customer Contact Centre on 01772 667002.
Financial support
We understand that keeping on top of your finances can be difficult in this trying time, but you’re not alone.
We can offer advice and information to you if you need help managing their money and sustaining their tenancy. Our team can support you with benefit claims, maximise available income, manage a household budget, and signpost to other support services.
Check what benefits you may be eligible for and how much you could claim using our Benefits Calculator. We have also developed a Budgeting Tool to help you control your finances by creating your budget plan.
Keeping a warm meal on the table is a tougher challenge than ever. With more of us having to decide between food and heating, there’s never been such demand for food support. With that in mind, we’ve partnered with various food banks and organisations to offer local food support in your area.
You can also search for your nearest food bank on The Trussell Trust’s website.
Please get in touch if the foodbank near you needs a referral or if you can’t find help in your area. Our Money Advice (01772 666 446) and Financial Inclusion Teams (0131 657 0600) can also link into funding and grants for emergency assistance.
We understand that our Customers' current social and economic issues are often down to a combination of factors rather than a single cause. That's why we provide a range of Community projects to tackle various issues.
From Community centres to food banks, we’ve developed a range of Community projects to combat the current cost of living crisis. While our employment support, digital training, and well-being programmes are designed to put you in the best mental and financial position possible.
In conclusion
Winter can be a tough time in any economy, but with the current Cost of Living Crisis, it's more complicated than ever before to stay financially stable. However, with the wide range of support and resources available to our Customers, you can feel more secure in your living situation.
We hope this blog helped, and if you would like more information on any of the resources mentioned, please check out our Cost of Living page or call us on 01772 667002