Turning to Longleigh

Sarah (not her real name) and her partner found themselves in financial difficulty after she had to leave her well-paid job, and her partner was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. Although they were receiving Universal Credit at the time, they found that once the household bills had been paid, they had nothing left.

Along with the regular payments of rent, bills and food shopping, she also had to factor in an increase in fuel costs for hospital appointments so that her partner could receive the treatment he needed.

An issue with Universal Credit payments saw them get into rent arrears, due to not being paid enough, and Sarah said it felt like they were constantly trying to “catch up”.

Sarah and her partner were passed over to Longleigh and given £1000 which was broken down to cover utility bills for 4 months, food shopping for several weeks and the extra petrol costs for hospital visits.

“The money gave us the breathing space to focus on my partner and his health. I can’t fault Longleigh, they were amazing. The money was given in installments, which was really helpful with budgeting and planning, and we were able to fill the freezer up and not worry so much about “making do” with what we had. The whole experience was stress-free.”

Sarah also said how great the process was. The money towards their utility bills was paid into their account the day before the bill was due, meaning they didn’t fall into arrears with the bank.

In the past, Sarah and her partner had always worked so, when their circumstances changed, they weren’t aware of the support available. They were financially and mentally impacted and weren’t able to help each other because they didn’t know where to turn.

When asked if Sarah had any words of wisdom for people going through financial difficulties, she said “just go for it and listen to what they have to say. They are experts, they are kind and, if you accept they’re trying to help you, it will do you good. Take a deep breath, listen, follow their advice and you won’t go wrong.”

Following her experience, she believes that one day her luck will change and said that if she ever comes into money, she’ll be putting it towards Longleigh so that they can continue to help people who are struggling.

“Longleigh has given us the confidence that there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are kind people out there who genuinely want to help.”

Find out more about Longleigh, the kind of work we fund, how to apply for our funding or how to support us in our mission to support people and communities transform their lives on our website www.longleigh.org.