Money matters and advice

Citizens Advice partnership

Hackney CAB leads a partnership of 6 organisations that provide an advice service for people who live in Hackney.

The partners are:

• Hackney Citizens Advice: provides free advice on a range of issues including benefits, consumer problems, employment issues, housing problems, legal issues, debt advice, relationship, family and personal problems as well as tax and utility related topics
• City and Hackney Carer’s Centre: provides advice and casework on welfare benefits, housing and debt to carers. We can also help you with benefits checks and form filling. Tel: 020 8533 0951
• Off Centre: general information and advice service for young people aged 11 to 25, with particular emphasis on welfare benefits, money management, housing and homelessness, immigration, employment, education, training and other legal support. Tel: 020 8986 4016
• Derman: provides advice and casework on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, family and consumer to people within Kurdish and Turkish speaking communities. 020 7739 7026
• Hoxton Trust and Hackney Marsh Partnership provide advice in GP surgeries in the borough

Hackney Law Centre

Free legal advice and representation for those who live or work in Hackney, along with free advice surgeries in housing, debt, consumer law, and small claims. 020 8985 8364. Hackney Law Centre.

Hackney Advice Service

Hackney Advice Service is a partnership of 5 charities providing an advice service for people who live in Hackney

The partners are:

• deafPLUS: for adults who are hard of hearing
• visionPLUS: for adults who have visual impairment
• MIND: for people with a physical disability and/or adults with a mental health disability
• Royal Society for Blind Children: for children and young adults up to the age of 25 who are blind or have a severe visual impairment
• Refugee Women’s Association: for migrant women
• Shelter is a national housing and homeless charity that can provide advice and assistance on all housing issues, from finding a place to live to problems meeting the cost of housing
• Fair Money Advice offer free and impartial advice to help you sort out your money worries and put you back in control

The service includes advice, form filling and casework on issues such as  Welfare Benefits, Travel Concessions, Disability Rights, including assistance with Social Security Appeals. 0207 001 1728. HAS@deafplus.org.

City and Hackney Carer’s Centre

City and Hackney Carer’s Centre: Provides advice and casework on welfare benefits, housing and debt to carers. We can also help you with benefits checks and form filling. Telephone: 020 8533 0951.

Hackney Chinese Community Services

Provides advice on welfare benefits, housing, debts, employment, immigration (OISC Level 1), family, consumer rights, human rights and will read or interpret letters. 020 8986 6171.

North London Muslim Community Centre

North London Muslim Community Centre: provides an advice and information surgery on welfare benefits, housing, health care needs, education, debt, immigration (OISC level 1). 020 8806 1147.

Day-Mer Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre

Day-Mer Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre: provides advice on Welfare Benefits, housing, employment, education and  Immigration (OISC level 1). 020 7275 8440.

Praxis – Immigration Advice at Hackney Migrant centre

Immigration advice and case work  to OISC level 3 – and casework including access to accommodation and services, homelessness and insecure housing, including destitution cases with no recourse to public funds and asylum support poverty relief, including food bank vouchers, grants, etc. 

Drop in every Wednesday- registration begins at 8.30am. Hackney Migrant Centre.

Agudas Israel Community Services

Provides employment and benefit advice to the orthodox Jewish community in Hackney. 020 8800 6688.

Age UK East London

Age UK East London: provides advice on Welfare Benefits, social care information on staying warm at home, home adaptations and how to prevent falls. 020 7249 7149.

If your circumstances change and you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage or your housing needs have changed there is a range of help available to you.

Housing Advice Service

The Council’s housing advice service – provides information and advice on a range of housing issues including help to pay your rent or mortgage or assistance with finding a home.

• 020 8356 2929
• housingadvice@hackney.gov.uk

Support for mortgage interest (SMI)

The SMI scheme helps households who may be experiencing difficulties with their mortgage repayments.

Shelter

Shelter is a national housing and homeless charity that can provide advice and assistance on all housing issues, from finding a place to live to problems meeting the cost of housing.

• Free: 0808 800 4444

Shelter Hackney Family Service

Shelter Hackney Family Service provides intensive support to families at risk of homelessness who have complex needs. They work in partnership with the family, developing a whole-family support package that addresses the risk to the families’ home as well as the causes and effects of the housing issue.

The service also runs a number of housing and welfare benefits advice surgeries around Hackney. These are for families who don’t meet the criteria for intensive support but who would benefit from specialist advice on a range of housing issues.

For full eligibility criteria, or to make a referral for advice or support:

• 0344 515 1447
• hackneyfamilysupport@shelter.org.uk

Gov.uk

Gov.uk provides information on national schemes to help with mortgage payments, benefits, work and much more.

Debt Advice Foundation

Debt Advice Foundation is a registered national debt education and advice charity. They provide free access to a range of tools and practical guides on how to manage money effectively, budget and negotiate directly with creditors.

• 0800 043 40 50

National Debtline

Run by the Money Advice Trust, National Debtline provides free confidential advice about managing debt.

• 0808 808 4000

Energy Saving Trust

Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides free impartial advice to help you save money and fight climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from your home.

• 0800 512 012

Shelter

Shelter provides free, expert advice about managing debt and can explain all your options.

Money Adviser Network

The Council is committed to supporting our customers who experience money
worries.

Whilst we are doing all we can to help our customers, we recognise there may be other debts that you need help and advice with.

We have partnered with The Money Adviser Network who offer free advice backed by the Money Advice Service.

The advisers behind the network offer independent and impartial money and debt advice over the phone or online.

Visit Money Adviser Network to provide your contact details in confidence so you can be connected with a qualified and regulated money adviser.

Money Advice Service

The Money Advice Service offers free and impartial advice to help people manage their money, including providing information on debt and borrowing, and a Universal Credit tool to help you budget and manage your money if you’re on, or going on, Universal Credit.

• 0300 500 5000

Money navigator tool

The Money Advice Service’s money navigator tool can help you if you have been affected by coronavirus:

• if your income is down and you’re worried about your future finances
• you’ve been furloughed and need help to get back on track, including after a payment holiday
• you’re facing redundancy or have lost your job
• you’re self-employed and work has dried up
• you want to make the most of money you’ve saved during lockdown

Know in 30 seconds:

• the money issues you need to tackle first
• how to stay on top of bills and payments
• what extra help and support you’re entitled to
• where you can get free advice for debt, housing or redundancy

If you are out of work or looking for a change of direction there’s a lot of advice and in some cases assistance with the costs of job hunting.

Hackney Job Centre Plus

Job Centre Plus provides advice and support for job seekers, including assistance with the costs of job hunting.

• 020 8218 8166

Learn Direct

Learn Direct can help to boost your skills or change career path by providing a range of training.

• free: 0800 101 901 from 7am to 11pm 7 days a week

Hackney Voluntary Action

Volunteer Centre Hackney continues to successfully place people across the borough of Hackney into a vast range of exciting and interesting volunteering roles. Ultimately this can lead people back into part or full time work, or can be a way to just spend time benefiting the community.

• 020 7241 4443

Hackney Community College

Hackney Community College offers full and part time courses for school leavers and adults.

• 020 7613 9000

Hackney Citizen’s Advice Bureau

Hackney Citizen’s Advice Bureau offers free advice on a range of issues including benefits, consumer problems, employment issues, housing problems, legal issues, debt advice, relationship, family and personal problems as well as tax and utility related topics.

• 0844 499 1195

Hackney Works

If you live in Hackney and are looking for a job or an apprenticeship, are just starting out or haven’t worked for years, Hackney Works, our free recruitment service can help you find the most suitable training and apply for the jobs that you want.

Childcare and schools

If your family’s employment circumstances have changed you may need to adjust your childcare. There are a range of services available.

Hackney Learning Trust

Hackney Learning Trust is responsible for Hackney schools, day nurseries, play services and adult education. They also provide advice and assistance on the costs associated with education such as free school meals and clothing grants.

National minimum wage – working for a fair pay borough

The national minimum wage is a legal requirement and all employers must pay this to staff over school leaving age. The rate per hour depends on your age and whether or not you are an apprentice.

London living wage

The Council is working towards making Hackney a fair pay borough where no one gets paid less than they can reasonably live on. We already pay all directly employed staff the London living wage, currently £10.20 per hour and are working towards paying all contracted staff at least the London living wage.

If you lose income, are worried by debt, or you and your family are struggling this can cause worry and stress. Many organisations offer free support.

City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group

City and Hackney CCG provide access to medial care and support including finding a GP and other local services.

• Freephone 0800 923 0107

The City and Hackney Wellbeing Network

The City and Hackney Wellbeing Network provides high quality, free courses and groups to Hackney residents to help with issues such as stress, anxiety and depression, and help prevent mental health problems from starting or getting worse. The network also supports people with severe and enduring mental health conditions, each with a wealth of expertise in working with different communities in Hackney.

• 020 8525 2301
• wellbeingnetwork@cityandhackneymind.org.uk

Health and wellbeing

The Council delivers a range of public health services to tackle the big health challenges that residents face.

MIND

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. They work to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress.

Tel: 0845 766 0163

Samaritans

Call the Samaritans‘ confidential helpline offering emotional support.

• 08457 90 90 90

Stress Management Society

The Stress Management Society is a non-profit making organization dedicated to helping
people tackle stress.

• 08701 999 235
• info@stress.org.uk

• Gov.uk is a single website providing a range of advice and information on everything. From training to mortgages, from benefits to medical support to childcare and much much more
• Transport for London provides free or subsidised travel for many people like job seekers and school children – call 020 7222 1234 for more information