Jaz’s Story

Referred by: Kidney Care UK

The Situation

Jaz lives with her husband and three children. One child is at university, two are in school. Her husband works full-time, and Jaz receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) due to long-term health challenges.

Despite receiving Universal Credit and Child Benefit, the family was told they owed over £3,000 to their energy provider. Jaz was doing everything she could—but still falling short. The stress was affecting her health and family life.

What We Did

Make Life Better completed a full benefit check and identified that Jaz was being underpaid. We:

• Appealed for enhanced mobility under PIP
• Helped her secure a Broadband Social Tariff
• Referred her to YES Energy Solutions for practical energy advice
• Worked directly with the energy supplier to:
  • Secure a credit on her account
  • Arrange a match payment
  • Pause standing charges temporarily

The Result

Our work led to a financial turnaround for Jaz:

• £2,447 increase in annual PIP entitlement
• £1,600 backdated lump sum
• £912 in energy account credits

Total financial gain in year one: £4,959

In Jaz’s Words

“I’d been trying to manage everything—but it was too much. Make Life Better made it all easier. They didn’t just help with the forms. They fought for us.”

Mia’s Story

 Referred by: Cadent

The Situation

• Mia had a pre-pay energy meter.
• Even though she was managing to pay for her energy as she used it, she had a huge debt of £1,908 which had mounted up previously.
• Mia was distressed with this debt. She struggles with English and she prefers to communicate via WhatApp.
• She was just about managing but was torn with worry over the energy debt.
• She had called her energy company who simply informed her that she had to pay.

What We Did

• To keep matters simple, we only asked for the basic information we required to talk to her energy company on her behalf.
• We talked to the energy company, looked into her case – which was more complex as the case was old and straddled two computer systems at the energy company.
• After a thorough review, the energy company decided to write off the old debt completely.
• Mia was managing her other expenditure and did not require any further support.

The Result

• Our work led to a financial turnaround for Mia:
• £1,908 energy bills written off

In Mia’s Words

• “My appreciate Mark you save my life, Thank you so much”

Ahmed’s Story

 Referred by: SGN

The Situation

• Ahmed is 24 years old and living with his mum and six siblings. His only income is Universal Credit of £400 per month.
• Ahmed has an outstanding overdraft of £3,500 and rent arrears of £11,000.
• Ahmed has serious eye problems and is unable to read. He recently suffered an episode of psychosis and was placed in hospital for four weeks. While in hospital, he was diagnosed with diabetes, ADHD, PTSD, and possible borderline personality disorder.

What We Did

• We helped Ahmed produce a financial statement so he could agree repayment plans with his creditors.
• We assisted Ahmed to complete an application for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and a claim for limited capability for work and work-related activity in Universal Credit

The Result

• Ahmed is entitled to an extra £8,868 per year.
• Ahmed was anxious about not being able to work and what this would mean for his financial situation. This outcome is life-changing for him.

Derek & Kate’s Story

 Referred by: Cadent

The Situation

• Derek and his partner Kate have five children aged from 4 to 18.
• Kate is working part time, and Derek has recently had to stop work due to injuries and ill health. They receive Universal Credit and Child Benefit.
• They are struggling to meet their monthly bills and provide healthy meals for their children.
• Their house has a water meter, and they are finding the bills very high. They are starting to fall behind with their water bills are and getting very worried.

What We Did

• Make Life Better advised Derek to make sure his fit notes are up to date so that his Universal Credit claim is not affected.
• We helped Derek complete a Work Capability Assessment, which could result in him being awarded an extra element of Universal Credit.
• We carried out a detailed benefit check and discovered that Derek and Kate had not been told about a social tariff for their water bill. We also looked at their Council Tax bill and advised that they might be entitled to a discount as a low-income family.
• We are in the process of completing an income and expenditure statement so we can make these applications.

The Result

• Completing the income and expenditure statement has helped Derek and Kate identify some areas where they can make savings to maximise their income.
• The estimated increase to their income from the benefit claims is around £5,500 a year. On average this increase will last for about three years.

Alex’s Story

 Referred by: YES Energy Solutions

The Situation

• Alex is a single parent living with their six-year-old daughter. Alex has a 17-year-old daughter who comes to visit at weekends.
• Due to mental health conditions, Alex is unable to work. They have recently had to move from getting Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit and are finding the Universal Credit online system daunting.
• Alex was struggling to pay bills and buy food, so was using food banks. They were in arrears with credit cards and water bills but unable to address this as they were focused on trying to afford food and electricity.

What We Did

• Make Life Better helped Alex work out what their monthly income and expenses are and drafted an accurate income and expenditure statement.
• We advised Alex to ask Universal Credit for a telephone claim instead of having to go online to see statements and messages.
• We talked to the water supplier on Alex’s behalf to get a hold on their account while we looked into what financial support was available.

The Result

• Alex felt more confident managing their budget and got in touch with a debt advice organisation to help with credit card debt.
• Alex was put onto Water Support so their current water bill of £1,100 was capped at £270 – this is an annual saving of £830
• Their account was also put onto the Resolve scheme so the bills would only be £23 a month for 12 months. After 12 months, the arrears of £3,100 will be cleared.
• Total financial gain in year one: £3,930

Andrew’s Story

Referred by: Kidney Care UK

The Situation

• Due to a significant decline in his health, Andrew was no longer able to work, leaving him without any income.
• His savings were rapidly depleting, and he was becoming increasingly anxious about how he would manage his bills.
• Although he had applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), his initial application was unsuccessful.

What We Did

• We supported Andrew in applying for New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
• We also assisted him with submitting a Mandatory Reconsideration for his PIP claim.

The Result

• As a result of our support, Andrew was awarded ESA and will be £6442.60 better off financially this year.
• We are currently awaiting the outcome of the PIP reconsideration, and we believe that he’s entitled to an additional £3,842.80 annually.
• Andrew feels significantly less stressed about his finances and is now able to focus on his treatment and health.

In Andrew’s Words

      “I can’t thank you enough for all your help and guidance during this time. I will be forever in your debt”