FW: October e-news: Housing, energy grants and more

Like us Follow us Watch us October 2014: Housing, Energy grants and more     Benefits Update: October   Intermediaries Calculator   Grants Search   Order Materials     Welcome to our October e-newsletter! With housing and living costs continuing to rise, we know that many are facing hardship when it comes to making housing payments. This issue, we feature the available help for housing costs, an opinion article on housing supply and poverty and case studies of people who have found help with these costs. As the weather grows colder, it's also important to read up what help with energy costs exists for those who are struggling this winter and to keep up to date with our monthly benefits and grants update. It's already a busy autumn here at Turn2us, with new developments in the works such as our new 'Better Off' function of our Benefits Calculator and an upcoming Grants campaign. Read on below to find out more about what we've been up to.       Help clients find help with housing costs The cost of housing is rising more rapidly than real wages are, meaning many people are struggling to make up the difference.But there are benefits available that could help your clients with housing costs whether they're renting or have a mortgage - and they are not just for people who are out of work. Read more about help with housing costs   Find help with energy costs With the weather starting to drop, many households are heading into another winter in which they will struggle with the cost of heating their homes. Read up on the help available for people struggling with energy costs including the Warm Homes Discount scheme and energy grants. Read more about this help       Why we need a healthier housing supply With a chronic housing shortage contributing to Britain's largest problems, many people are finding themselves trapped in private rental properties they are struggling to afford. Read this article from our friends at Generation Rent on how a healthier housing supply and stricter rental policy would help reduce poverty in the UK. Read Generation Rent's article   Real stories: finding help with housing costs This month’s stories come from Jayne and Greg, who both used Turn2us when they were struggling with housing costs. Read their experiences and how finding help made all the difference. Read Jayne and Greg's stories         Turn2us launches ‘better off’ Benefits Calculator feature We're pleased to announce that we have launched a new feature to our Benefits Calculator to help people quickly and easily find out if they, or their partner could be better off in-work or working more hours. This 'better off' function is now available for both intermediaries and individuals using the Turn2us Benefits Calculator. Find out more about this new feature. Learn more           Support our upcoming Grants campaign Right now at Turn2us, we’re gearing up to run a national campaign to raise awareness of the help provided by the grant-giving sector. Charitable grants offer millions of pounds of help to people in financial need each year, but huge swathes of the public do not know they exist. If your organisation is interested in being involved with this campaign, please contact Emma Lamberton, Turn2us Communications Officer, emma.lamberton@turn2us.org.uk             Turn2us, Hythe House, 200 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NL Call us: +44 (0)20 8834 9200 Visit us: www.turn2us.org.uk Elizabeth Finn Care is a national charity that gives direct financial support to individuals in need and through Turn2us helps millions more to gain access to the money available to them in welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help. Charity Registration Numbers: 207812 {England and Wales), SC040987 (Scotland); Company Registration Number: 515297; VAT Number: GB872571796. Registered Office: Hythe House, 200 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NL, Tel: 020 8 834 9200; Website URLs: www.elizabethfinncare.org.uk and www.turn2us.org.uk. If you send a sensitive email to us, please be aware that email is not a secure medium of communication. If you are concerned that sensitive information in your email will be disclosed to unintended recipients you may want to consider choosing a different way to communicate with us. For our full Terms & Conditions please follow this link http://www.turn2us.org.uk/terms__conditions.aspx This message contains confidential information solely for its intended recipient(s). If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and then delete any copies of it.