Coping with the Cost of Living
The Cost of Living is still impacting us all.
Energy bills are still going up, daily essentials are more expensive and some people are struggling to make ends meet .…. but help and support is out there.
Please give us a call on 01563 528816 if you would like some more information on our Money Advice service.
Or you can visit the East Ayrshire Money website for free and impartial advice and support if you are experiencing issues with benefits and money https://eamoney.co.uk/
We will regularly post useful information on https://www.facebook.com/atriumhomeskilmarnock/ - if you don’t follow us already please like our page.
We are part of the Goodthings Foundation National Data Bank and can issue FREE SIM cards (Vodaphone, O2 and 3 Network) to people aged 18+ and have limited access to data either at or away from home.
You can pick up Hey Girls products from the office. This scheme aims to eradicate period poverty and is free to access.
If you need our help with any welfare matters, or more information on how to access the services on offer, please get in touch by:
Telephone: 01563 528 816
Email: info@atrium-homes.co.uk
In person: by dropping into Atrium House (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday)
If you would like to carry out a quick benefit check on your own then you can do so by using the following link - https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/ If you think there is something you may be entitled to then please contact us on how you can apply.
Please note, our office building is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday should you wish to come in and use our wi-fi or just to have a chat with staff, and we are available by phone or email on a Wednesday!
If you have any ideas how we can help our tenants or our communities then please get in touch on 01563 528 816 or email info@atrium-homes.co.uk
Useful Links
Citizens Advice Bureau – Cost of Living Initiative
https://www.cas.org.uk/spotlight/money-and-debt/easing-cost-living-initiative
Citizen’s Advice Bureau
https://www.eastayrshirecab.org.uk/
Ayrshire Credit Union
https://ayrshirecreditunion.co.uk/
East Ayrshire Council – Cost of Living Hub
https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/Community/cost-of-living/cost-of-living.aspx
Christians Against Poverty
Call 0800 328 0006 or visit www.capuk.org/about-us/our-work-across-the-uk/our-work-in-scotland
BBC Food Guide – Cooking Within a Budget
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/budget_dinner_recipe_and_ideas
Money Saving Expert
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/christmas-savings/
As part of our commitment to helping our tenants, here are some of the things that we do regularly:
We have CoCo the Atrium Elf on hand to help us with our various activities in December. CoCo works closely with the Community Connector and will be a regular feature on our social media, keeping everyone up to date and making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
CoCos’ makes sure that all of Atrium’s tenants are on the “Good List” for our Annual Christmas Advent Calendar from the 1st to the 25th of December. One lucky tenant will be randomly selected every day to receive £50 of supermarket vouchers to help with the cost of Christmas.
The rest of our Elves working away to get in touch with our Over 75’s in December. Please keep a look out for a letter in the post or a knock on the door from one of the team with a special surprise!
CoCo and the Elves also manage our ‘WELFare Fund’ and may be able to help anyone who is struggling at Christmas time with any welfare matters.
Our Money Advice Service is always available to offer help to our tenants. One of the team said “a simple phone call can make the world of difference to you or your household income”.
In the past, with the help of Scottish Housing Fuel Support Funding, we have been able to issue payments directly to our tenants to help with the cost of fuel. We distributed Heat, Eat & Light bags to tenants which contained energy efficient light bulbs, a hot water bottle, food stuff and a handy information leaflet containing a tasty recipe and energy saving tips!
We have run Cost of Living Surgeries and we work with partners such as Citrus Energy and Ayrshire Credit Union.
