Update on our financial support survey

Thank you for taking part in our financial support survey and sharing your thoughts and feedback.

We heard from over 3,400 of you, which is a fantastic response. Your feedback helps us to understand how our customers are doing financially, what support would help you the most and what you’d like to see more of.

Our support

We support hundreds of customers every year. So far, we've contacted over 450 customers who, through the survey, let us know they may need additional support.

We can help with:

  • Grants for emergencies, essential items and living costs
  • Employment and job opportunities
  • Living more independently through home improvements, aids and adaptations
  • Dealing with debts, managing money and applying for benefits

If you’re struggling for any reason and would like help, please speak to us. Visit our money matters webpage, fill in our form, and we will get back to you - or phone us at 01202 319119.

What you told us

How has your household's financial situation changed in the past year?

We had 3,476 answers to this question, with most customers letting us know that their situation was about the same or had got a little worse.

  • It's about the same: 35%
  • Got a little worse: 29%
  • Got a lot worse: 21%
  • Got a little better: 8%
  • Got a lot better: 3%
  • Prefer not to say: 3%
  • Don’t know: 1%

How well would you say you are managing these days financially?

We had 3,474 responses, with many of you letting us know that you’re finding things difficult or just about getting by.

  • Just about getting by: 36%
  • Doing ok: 29%
  • Finding it difficult: 19%
  • Finding it very difficult: 9%
  • Living comfortably: 5%
  • Prefer not to say: 2%

Areas that have caused your household the most financial difficulty

You told us the top three areas that cause your household the most financial difficulty are:

  • Energy bills
  • Food and groceries
  • Council tax and other household bills

Other areas of difficulty were rent, debt repayments, transport, clothing and essentials.

Awareness of the support we offer

Responses showed us that many of you were not aware of support offered by Stonewater, Longleigh and other organisations.

Only a small percentage of you have used these support services, but encouragingly, many of you said you would use them now or in the future.

"I hadn’t realised how much support you offer with so much more than just your rent. I really appreciate knowing you are there to support with almost anything we struggle with. I’m impressed and will reach out in future."

How would you like to receive information about financial support?

3,082 of you answered this question.

  • 64% of you selected email as your top choice for updates
  • 39% of you would like to receive information by post (letters or leaflets)
  • 33% of you would prefer a text message
  • 23% said you’d like printed newsletters
  • 23% thought notifications on MyHome would be useful

Other options included updates through WhatsApp, phone calls, social media, online forums, face-to-face meetings and community events.

What support would be most helpful to improve your financial situation?

The top answers here said the biggest difference would be helping reduce everyday living costs, and access to grants for essential items or unexpected costs, like:

  • Broken appliances
  • Car repairs
  • Furniture and white goods
  • School uniforms

Where would you go if you needed help with money?

The most popular choice, with almost half of you selecting this option, would be to talk to family and friends if you needed help with money. This was followed by asking for support from Citizens Advice or your bank/building society. The next most popular option was ‘I wouldn’t seek help’.

Seeking financial support from Stonewater ranked lower down in the survey and received a similar number of responses to debt advice charities and going to your local authority.

"Everyone I was involved with (Stonewater, Clean Slate, Longleigh) were incredibly friendly and supportive. I think what I appreciated most was lack of judgment and positivity!"

What will you do with the feedback?

We’re going to review all the feedback from the financial support survey, and:

  • Improve how we communicate how we can help you with financial support, and make it easier to access help when you need it
  • Check information and support to make sure it's meeting your needs
  • Keep you updated on new and existing support
"I had financial support through Stonewater, and I found it very helpful. The person I was speaking with listened, understood, and was able to help me understand my issues and find the right ways to help me."