A woman from Tower Hamlets needed to find a safe place to live and help to claim her benefits. She had experienced Domestic Violence, living in a one-bed house with two adults and three children. She came to us for help.

After being nominated by her local Council, she applied for a flat so that she could be safe with her daughter. She was very excited to be getting her own home.

The flat she moved into, although safe, had no furniture and few carpets. She had to sleep on the floor with her daughter because there wasn’t a bed, and she had little money to live on and pay the bills.

She needed our help to improve her new flat and support her children. Shafique Hamza our Welfare Benefits Officer was a life-line, offering benefits advice.

She said: “I prayed every day for help. Shafique arrived into my life to help me. Swan gave me a grant to paint the walls. Later he helped me get my back-dated benefits.  I used some of the money to buy some furniture and get new carpets. Now it’s nice here. It was a dream years ago to live somewhere like this. Now it’s come true.

I will never forget Shafique, he has changed my life.”

If you want help sorting out your benefits, ring your Welfare Benefits Officer on 0300 303 2500.