Case Study: Income & Housing Advice Programme
Positive East & The Food Chain
1. What problem are we trying to solve or what is the aim?
Many participants in The Food Chain’s “Eating Together” programme face challenges related to income and housing, such as rent arrears, council tax issues, and immigration concerns. The aim is to improve the income and housing situations of 80% of individuals referred from the programme by providing personalized advice and support.
2. What did we do?
Improved Service Delivery:
Introduced a pre-appointment explanation about the process and data recording to ensure participants understand the service.
Alerted attendees at “Eating Together” events about the advisor’s availability, increasing access to support.
Streamlined Processes:
Began retrospectively completing demographic information using The Food Chain’s CRM for more meaningful reporting.
Adapted to Limitations:
Managed service disruptions (due to advisor illness or annual leave) as the service operates only one day per week.
3. What outcome have we achieved so far?
Referrals and Engagement:
26 referrals received, with 16 male and 9 female participants.
Presenting Issues:
Addressed a variety of concerns, including:
Housing/Temporary Accommodation (9 cases)
Benefits (5 cases)
Hardship payments (3 cases)
Debt (2 cases)
Immigration (2 cases)
Rent arrears, council tax arrears, service charges, and employment-related issues (1 case each).
Confidence Improvement:
Participants’ confidence in managing their issues increased significantly:
Average “before” score: 1.1 (no confidence). Average “after” score: 4.1 (fully confident).
86% of respondents reported increased confidence.
Key Challenges and Learnings:
Clear communication about the data recording process reduced the number of participants declining support.
Service gaps due to limited availability (one day per week) highlight the need for additional capacity.
Access to CRM data allows for better demographic reporting and improved insights.
Conclusion:
The Income & Housing Advice programme has successfully increased participants’ confidence and provided critical support for income and housing-related issues. Despite service limitations, the initiative has made measurable progress, with 86% of participants reporting improved confidence.