Act on Energy is a charity that helps people across the West Midlands, Worcestershire and Warwickshire with their energy needs, offering a full home energy support service with free and impartial advice.
We fund them as part of the Direct Access to Wellbeing Service two-year programme in partnership with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Charity Foundation Trust. This project, the ‘Home Energy Extra Service’, provides specialist energy advice, energy efficiency measures and income maximisation support to vulnerable residents across the area.
It aims to tackle constraints in reaching the most marginalised fuel poor households and in doing so, address the interdependencies between colder homes and long-term health outcomes; reducing pressures and impact on community-based healthcare services across the city.
The Service is led by four Complex Caseworkers who work closely with vulnerable people living with poor health conditions. Each referred resident is given sufficient time and input to tackle issues such as debt, energy-related or otherwise; boiler issues – to include servicing and repairs; damp & mould; property quality, suitability, and landlord-related difficulties, and all other household problems impacting their health.
In addition to this some of the referred individuals will receive one-to-one benefits advice and related support to improve their financial stability and independence.
Within the first year, the team has interacted with 318 cases, with 205 people also receiving benefits assistance.
Find out more at: www.actonenergy.org.uk
Mr and Mrs JS live in a detached owner-occupied property, and have multiple health problems including mental health issues, poor mobility and cognitive decline. As well as struggling with mould and damp, the couple’s cooker had been disconnected for safety reasons and not yet replaced, causing them additional worry.
Mr JS’s anxiety was such that the advisor couldn’t cover everything in the first visit, so a follow up session was arranged. By this point, they felt more confident and comfortable in the advisor’s presence, so additional support options could be discussed.
Following the home visit and inspection, Mr JS was signposted to find an independent property surveyor to investigate the damp, and Mrs JS was directed to the GP for a memory loss assessment. The advisor was able to arrange the delivery and installation of their new cooker and make them aware of other support and services to keep them safe, well and warm.
The Cadent Foundation operates as a donor advised fund.
All grants are administered by Charities Trust
2nd Floor, Eleanor Rathbone House
Unit 16 Connect Business Village
24 Derby Road, Liverpool
L5 9PR
Charity Registration No: 327489
