Cost of living and debt advice

• Kent Together can direct to the right service, call 03000 41 92 92(text relay 18001 03000 41 92 92)
• Citizen’s Advice can give lots of information about grants and benefits you may be entitled to and help people on a low income citizensadvice.org.uk
• Trussell Trust can help you find a local food bank trusselltrust.org/get-help or 0808 208 2138
• If you are pregnant or have young children, you may be eligible for Healthy Start vouchers healthystart.nhs.uk
• Optivo provide free guidance to reduce debts optivo.org.uk
• Kent Savers can help you feel more in control of your finances kentsavers.co.uk
• Kent Support and Assistance Service (KSAS) can offer support if you experience an unforeseen, short-term crisis kent.gov.uk/ksas and offer an emergency welfare scheme. www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/care-and-support/benefits/home-essentials-in-a-crisis

  You may be able to get help with:

  • groceries, for up to seven days
  • baby food, milk and nappies
  • furniture, such as beds and seating
  • crockery
  • bedding, curtains and carpets
  • essential electrical appliances, for example a fridge and/or cooking appliance
  • clothing
  • utilities, including prepayment gas and electric for up to seven days
  • emergency travel arrangements via public transport, for example to flee a crisis.

• Household Support Fund can help with fuel and food vouchers. If you qualify, Kent County Countil will issue your household with energy vouchers to the value of £150 and supermarket vouchers to the value of £150 which can be redeemed towards food and essential household items kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/care-and-support/benefits/household-support-fund

Help with housing

• Canterbury Housing Advice Centre (Canterbury District only) provide a free, confidential, independent and impartial advice service on a wide range of housing issues and problems including homelessness, accessing accommodation in the public, private and voluntary sectors, repossession, landlord/tenant issues and housing benefit. They also assist those who become, or are about to become, homeless to find alternative accommodation chac.co.uk or 01227 762 605
• Porchlight porchlight.org.uk/commissioners-and-professionals/our-services/housing-and-homelessness-services

Help with domestic abuse

• Details of local support in Kent and Medway domesticabuseservices.org.uk
• Children and young people can call ChildLine 24/7. Calls to 0800 1111are free and confidential. You can also get information online childline.org.uk
• Women can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247, and men the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 for free at any time, day or night
• You can also speak to Kent Police on the non-emergency telephone number 101, but if you are at immediate risk call 999

Help for carers

• Kent Carers Matter (all five Kent carers organisations) kentcarersmatter.co.uk

Social prescribing

• Involve Kent (Maidstone) tackle the root causes of ill health, including isolation, loneliness, disadvantage and frailty involvekent.org.uk/social-prescribing
• Connect Well East Kent support people to live independently and safely in their own homes, linking people with local services in their community. This is a community navigation service, who work by offering phone support in the first instance and signposting if/where appropriate. If further support is needed, they can refer onto a team of community navigators who offer up to 12 weeks support on a one-to-one basis. Covers Aylesham, Ashford, Canterbury, Deal, Dover, Faversham, Folkestone, Herne Bay, Hythe, Romney Marsh, Sandwich, Thanet, Whitstable www.connectwelleastkent.org.uk or connectwell@sekgroup.org.uk

  It can support with:

  • benefits
  • housing
  • daily living
  • some aids and adaptions
  • information and advice
  • befriending
  • social isolation
  • meals on wheels.

Veterans’ support

• SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, help the armed forces community in a number of ways, by providing direct support to individuals in need of physical or emotional care but also with addiction, relationship breakdown, debit, homelessness, post-traumatic stress, depression and disability ssafa.org.uk/get-help