It used to be called the benefit trap.  With high rents and other costs of living in London, many people want to find employment but fear that they will be worse off when they begin working.

This becomes a barrier, wasting talent and money by excluding people from progressing through training, employment and on to a career with opportunities to earn decent remuneration and gain financial security.

HELP is offering its clients very practical solutions for financial inclusion.  Project Manager Judith McKee explains,  “Many people don’t realise that they can get in-work benefits, depending on their individual circumstances.  We can do Better Off Calculations to work out earnings plus in-work benefits including Housing

Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit.”

The other barrier can be filling in the forms to apply for support under different schemes.  “HELP Advisers can help people with their applications, as the forms can be quite complicated,” Judith adds.  The team can also assist with issues like budgeting or setting up a basic bank account.  “If people have debt issues, we can refer them to several partners who are able to advise on debt,” says Judith.