Samabel came to Citizens Advice in a state of severe financial and emotional distress following a rapid decline in her health.

Written By Pete Willis

Client profile:

Samabel came to Citizens Advice in a state of severe financial and emotional distress following a rapid decline in her health. Due to serious health conditions, she had been forced to give up work and was struggling to manage both her finances and her wellbeing. 

Samabel is a single parent with one dependent child who has additional needs. The family live in privately rented accommodation and relied on Child Benefit, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP),  including a Mobility vehicle and the standard daily living component as well as Council Tax Support. 

Reason why the client needed advice:

During a period of hospitalisation, Samabel unfortunately missed an important message in her Universal Credit journal. This resulted in a four-week sanction being applied to her claim. With her income suddenly reduced, she quickly fell behind on essential household bills and accrued significant rent and council tax arrears. 

By the time she sought help, Samabel’s debts had reached: 

  • £2,400 in priority debt  

  • £730 in non-priority debt  

Although her landlord showed compassion by temporarily reducing her rent to help ease the pressure, Samabel remained overwhelmed and unable to regain financial stability on her own. 

What we have done to help the client:

Our Money Specialist Adviser worked closely with Samabel to provide intensive support and advocacy. We assisted her to apply for: 

  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for her daughter  

  • Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)  

  • Exceptional Hardship Payment (EHP)  

  • Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA)  

The process was extremely challenging for Samabel. Gathering evidence and managing multiple benefit applications while coping with poor health and financial anxiety had a significant impact on her mental health. Despite this, our adviser continued to support and guide her throughout every stage of the process. 

Outcomes achieved: 

  • Discretionary Housing Payment approved: £2,000  

  • Cleared all rent arrears  

  • Exceptional Hardship Payment approved: £400  

  • Cleared council tax arrears  

  • LCWRA awarded: £423.27 per calendar month  

  • DLA awarded for her daughter: £103.10 per week  

  • Universal Credit Disabled Child Element awarded: £158.76 per calendar month  

Impact:

As a direct result of this intervention: 

  • All priority debts were cleared  

  • Samabel’s housing situation was stabilised  

  • Her ongoing monthly income increased by just over £1,000 per month  

  • Financial pressure and uncertainty were significantly reduced for both Samabel and her daughter  

This case demonstrates the life-changing impact of specialist welfare benefits and debt advice. Through sustained support and successful benefit interventions, Samabel and her family were able to move from crisis and instability towards financial security and improved wellbeing. 

NB: Names and certain details have been changed to protect our clients’ anonymity.

Pete Willis
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