Advent Calendar Day 24: Maria’s story
Maria* had a young son and was living in a privately rented home. She’d had an awful year: her mum had sadly passed away and then Maria suffered a series of strokes that left her with poor memory and difficulty handling day-to-day household tasks, including looking after financial affairs like paying bills.
That winter, unable to afford to keep her heating on, Maria and her son were using blankets to try to stay warm. However, the physical impacts of her stroke meant she felt cold all the time and could never get warm. This, combined with everything else, had a significant impact on her mental health and she was really struggling with it all by the time she came into contact with National Energy Action.
Maria’s dad was initially acting on her behalf when talking with our adviser as Maria was struggling so much: ‘I couldn’t even speak. So, my dad had to speak for me.’
Our adviser started by referring Maria to our Benefits Entitlement Check Service (BECS) to ensure she was in receipt of all the benefits she was entitled to. This led to us supporting her with applications for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit, both of which she hadn’t been aware she could claim.
Both claims were successful, giving Maria a much-needed boost to her ongoing income as well as a substantial back-pay. In addition, our adviser helped her to successfully claim for Healthy Start Vouchers and registered her on the Priority Services Register.
Maria’s doing much better now and is beginning to manage her own affairs again: ‘The help I received off National Energy Action, I couldn’t thank my adviser herself, and all the people involved, enough. Oh, it’s made a lot of difference. I couldn’t even begin to say how much difference it’s made, to myself and my son. Because without all you guys, I wouldn’t have known about anything.’
The help we provide is only possible because of the incredible support we receive. Your generosity can change lives and mean more people like Maria can feel warm, safe and secure in their home this winter and beyond.
Support Operation Warmth and help spread warmth and hope this Christmas.
DONATE *Pseudonym used to protect client anonymity.