Emma’s Story

Citizens Advice in North & West Kent Emma's Story

Emma is a young mother, living in a one-bedroom flat with her three-year old son. She suffers from various mental health issues and is the sole custodian of her son which has impacted her ability to take up employment. She was reliant on Universal Credit (UC) and Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) benefits as sources of income. However, this did not cover the entirety of her housing costs.
Emma contacted Citizens Advice as she was facing financial hardship and wanted help dealing with numerous debts, amounting to nearly £5,000.00, and benefits advice. She also wanted help with income maximisation and appealing her Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision for which she had been rejected.
We successfully managed to get some of Emma’s debts written off on health grounds. We also helped her get a new washing machine to replace one she had on hire purchase, thus saving her £20/month. As part of our income maximization advice, we also referred her to the benefits team for help with a PIP appeal for which she was awarded the enhanced rates for both elements – £156.90 a week!

All stories have been given different names and certain details have been omitted or changed to preserve their anonymity.