How HOMELINK Lewes uses Huggg for Voucher Support
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Lewes District Churches HOMELINK was set up in the late 1990s in response to rapidly increasing homelessness. HOMELINK’S purpose is to help people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, by offering interest free advance rent/deposit loans to support applicants seeking access into private rental properties they have found themselves.
Each year, HOMELINK Lewes helps hundreds of people facing eviction and homelessness into secure housing. But it doesn’t stop there.
HOMELINK Lewes knows that a home is more than just four walls and a roof over your head, so support doesn’t stop when the new tenant picks up their keys. HOMELINK Lewes also provides grants for food and essential household goods for applicants moving into new properties, plus energy support grants to help people with things such as carpeting and curtains to help reduce energy costs.
But getting grants out to clients is not always straightforward. As with any charity, every penny HOMELINK Lewes spends must be accountable. Funding for the charity comes from several sources including the local authority, private donors and charity funding organisations, all of whom require updates about how their donations are being distributed.
The charity uses a bank transfer for loans but the logistics of disbursing food and energy grants posed some challenges that HOMELINK had to solve.
Huggg was recommended to HOMELINK by a former employee of Citizens Advice. Clients Managers Gary and Shaun began using Huggg to send, track and manage vouchers for grocery and essential goods. Recipients can choose at which supermarket to use the voucher, and HOMELINK Lewes can specify what the vouchers are to be used for. Clients also receive energy vouchers to top up meters, so they have enough energy to keep them warm and can cook for themselves and their families.
“The best way we can get our food and energy grants service out is through Huggg.” Shaun Gilbert explains. “Huggg allows us to get food and energy vouchers out to clients in desperate need instantly to their phones”
The circumstances of voucher recipients vary from people who are homeless or in threat of homelessness and are moving into a new home, to emergency cases where someone simply needs crisis support with things like electricity or gas. With the cost of living rising, HOMELINK Lewes anticipates more of this kind of engagement.
Although that is a sobering thought, HOMELINK Lewes - an organisation at the coalface of the cost of living crisis - is truly making a difference. The lives of some of society’s most vulnerable are better for it.
Find out more about Huggg and how we can help you with disbursing vouchers to those in need
