Gheorghe and Melinda

Working as a self-employed vendor became difficult when Gheorghe developed health problems. We helped Gheorghe apply for Universal Credit. His friend had previously helped him to apply for Universal Credit and the EU Settlement Scheme. But Gheorghe could not access the applications because he didn’t have his passwords, doesn’t read English well, and has no IT access/skills. His application for the EU Settlement Scheme was refused. He was asked for more evidence, but the message was never forwarded to him. Similarly, his Universal Credit account was impossible to access. We supported the couple in applying again and uploaded all the evidence. The couple is still awaiting the outcome of the settlement application, but with the certificate of application, they now have recourse to funds.

When my health started getting bad, it was made worse by the stress of not knowing how we would make ends meet. Prices are going up, and it looks like it will get worse. Friends tried to help, but they didn’t really know what they were doing. Knowing you will help means a lot – as much as the help itself.