Extra Assistance Portal launched to provide practical winter support
British Gas Energy Trust has launched a new project to help people get practical items to keep them warm this winter.
The new Extra Assistance Portal went live on October 1, providing Trust funded organisations with additional funding to support their low-income and vulnerable clients.
It follows a pilot programme in 2022 where funding was made available to a small number of organisations for extra practical measures to be given to clients in need. It was designed to further engage clients into the wider, more holistic support available.
The pilot was a success, with 80% of all clients who received an item through the scheme going onto engage in money guidance and energy advice support.
What’s more, as the newly launched scheme is not regulated by Ofgem, funded organisations are able to obtain different kinds of items for their clients.
Items include:
- Air fryers
- Beds, bedding, blankets and mattresses
- Boiler repair or replacement
- Clothing and drying clothing racks
- Curtains
- Dehumidifiers
- Electric cookers, including slow cookers and microwaves
- Fridges and freezers
- Hot water bottles
- Tumble dryers
- Wheatbacks and warm packs
The project is being run alongside the Trust’s existing White Goods Fund, and is available throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
One of the organisations looking forward to using the portal is St Anns Advice – a consortium of advice agencies based in Nottingham.
As soon as it launched, they used the portal to support an 80-year-old client who had been waiting to move into warden-aided accommodation. Advisors were able to support her to obtain a cooker and fridge freezer, so she had the ability to prepare her own meals.
Debbie Webster, Manager at St Anns Advice, said:
“We are so pleased that British Gas Energy Trust has opened the new extra assistance portal. So many of our clients need essential items such as cookers and fridges but struggle to buy them out of their limited incomes. This fund will make a real difference to our clients, people who are used to living without key items that make for a normal life.”
Alongside funding organisations to provide money and energy advice in the heart of communities, the Trust also provides direct grants to clients with struggling with gas and/or electricity debt. The Individuals and Families Fund is open to British Gas and non-British Gas customers with up to £1,700 of energy debt, and the Energy Support Fund is due to open on 4th November, providing British Gas customers with grants of up to £2,000.
To find money and energy advice local to you, please click here.
To learn more about grants available from the Trust, please click here.