We had a great session with Wendy yesterday who, is the Money Advice Support Worker for Moray Food Plus. Wendy has supported residents throughout Moray to claim over £1 million of unclaimed benefits in the last year so it was wonderful to chat with her at the Combat Poverty Workshop this week.
The work shop took the form of three relaxed activities with the aim of getting the group talking and thinking about the topics. We looked at different types of poverty, myth busting and we also discussed budgets and case studies.
Within Moray there are many different types of poverty including rural poverty, fuel poverty, digital poverty, social isolation, poverty caused by health conditions, families breaking down and also period poverty. Wendy showed us a selection of images and we chatted about what could be going on in someone’s life based on the image we saw. The clear message here was that you never know what someone is dealing with, not all poverty is obvious and it can happen to any of us. The ripple effects of redundancy, supporting children through the ‘bank of Mum and Dad’ and the complications and challenges of trying to find and apply for help online are huge in Communities in Moray.
We looked at myth busting around topics such as universal credit, childcare payments, savings in relation to claiming benefits, the Scottish childcare payment, carers allowances and social broadband tariffs. I have to admit in this exercise what I believed were true or false statements were often wrong! The good news is that both Moray Council and Moray Food Plus can offer Benefit Checks which, do not take long and may be able to help find additional support to you and your family.
Through case studies, Wendy was able to demonstrate how she had worked with pensioners, single mothers and those with mental and physical health problems who were struggling and now have an increased monthly income and access to additional free services. Examples of some of the benefits Wendy was able to help people claim include- Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Scottish Childcare Payments, Best Start Foods, Best Start Baby Grant, Social Tariffs for Broadband and Warm Homes discount. There are also grants available that can be applied for to purchase specific items including cookers, carpets and medical equipment.
I have placed some flyers and cards in the Community Food Larder in the Legion in Dufftown with more information and contact details for Wendy at Moray Food Plus and also an image below.
Just a reminder, that the DDCA has a hardship fund and access to Food Vouchers so if you or anyone else you are aware of requires this support please contact us on aileen@dufftowncommunity.co.uk or call 07928986261. All information will be treated confidentially.
Thank you again to those who attended and to Wendy for delivering such a great workshop.
