Supporting customers | Our impact

We're committed to being responsive to the challenges that customers are facing, offering the right help at the right time to support their tenancies and personal wellbeing.

Support through the cost-of-living crisis

Not only has the cost-of-living crisis seen the number of people that need our support increase, but the number of issues that individuals are facing have increased too, with the crisis having wide ranging impacts on customers’ mental and physical health as well as their ability to pay their bills.

In response, we’ve introduced a raft of new measures as part of our Better Days programme to help customers manage their finances, maximise their income and reduce the pressure of cost-of-living increases. These include a new cost-of-living education hub on Orbit’s customer website and an increased capacity in our existing mental health support service, Breathing Space, which is commissioned with Mind and Aspire4u.

Visit Better Days

Expert advice

Working with National Energy Action (NEA), we’re providing vulnerable customers with free energy advice via phone, support packs and at face-to-face events.

Furthermore, our new Welfare Advice Service, provided by Citizens Advice South Warwickshire and Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton Citizens Advice Bureau (BRANCAB), is supporting customers who need help to understand and apply for the benefits that they’re eligible for, as well as providing coaching about how to become more financially resilient.

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Maintaining tenancies

Customers who require further support can be referred to our Tenancy Sustainment Team who work with customers to identify their financial, wellbeing, digital and employment concerns and offer a tailored package of support to enable them to make the changes in their life that will secure their future.

This could include support through the Better Days programme, support from a specialist external organisation or a referral to one of our Tenancy Sustainment Job Coaches.

Coaching sessions help customers truly identify, resolve and overcome barriers, and help empower customers to provide themselves with a better future and improve the chances of managing and sustaining their tenancy.

Watch the video to hear more from one of our Tenancy Triage officers about how they support customers.

In the last 12 months we have seen:

501 Orbit customers supported by our new Welfare Benefits Advice Service with average annual financial gains of £2,712 per customer

635 customers supported through our Winter Warmth engagement events with National Energy Action, with an average saving of £382 per customer on energy bills.

£51,106 uptake in fuel and food vouchers

614 local Better Days support sessions provided including digital champions surgeries and community activities such as youth clubs, warm hub meetings, holiday clubs, and estate walks

676 customers supported with debt advice from Pay Plan, helping customers to manage a total debt of £1,500,000

1027 customers supported into training / employment related training

312 Customers supported into employment or volunteering

1,344 customers supported through local customer engagement events

Independent Living

In our Independent Living Schemes, we commission projects to bring multiple generations together to improve sharing, learning, and understanding, as well as providing dementia support and services to increase mobility and digital inclusion. We also offer in-scheme activities ranging from coffee mornings and befriending services to arts and crafts, bingo, and ‘knit and natter’ to reduce social isolation.

More about Independent Living

Supported Housing

Supported housing accommodation is provided to people with a learning disability, physical disability or mental health need, alongside other support or supervision, to help people live as independently as possible. Our Supported Housing team really understand customers’ needs and how to provide them with the best quality, tailored service, working with a range of specialist managing agents and support providers.

Watch the video to hear about Kieran’s story of rehabilitation in one of our Supported Living schemes.