External benefit and debt advice contacts

This page contains a list of useful organisations and contacts who provide benefit and debt advice.

Action for the Blind

On 1 April 2017, Action for Blind People merged with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). This allowing them to help more blind and partially sighted people by combining services, knowledge and expertise within one charity.

Address - Howick House Park Avenue Penwortham PR1 0LS

Telephone - 01772 320550

Adactus

Tenant support for Wigan, Lea and Lancaster. Other queries referred to external sources (Lancs Minds, D.I.S.C. and Social Services)

Telephone - 0845 5053355

Affinity Solutions

Telephone - 0300 1000303

Email - customerservice@affinitysutton.com

Age concern Central Lancashire

Open Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm, excluding Bank Holidays. Offering benefit advice only.

Telephone - 01772 552868

Email - help@55plus.org.uk

Age concern Central Lancashire do not have tenanted support workers. P.I.P. E.S.A (need to bear in mind the age group they support) Tax Credit (need to bear in mind the age group they support) Housing Benefit Council and Tax Support.

Age concern Central Lancashire - Help Direct

Open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.

Address - 30 Cannon Street, Preston, PR1 3NS

Telephone - contact Iain Pearson on 01772 270720 or call 01772 270730

Assistance with food banks support and information regarding rent, bills, mortgages, school uniforms and any other basic requirements. Other help includes:

• Support accessing C8UNSS
• Community support projects such as time banks and arts groups
• General support managing finances, relationships, family, employment, learning, leisure, mobility and transport, home and gardens, community groups, volunteering, support needed and health and fitness.
• Assistance through the Help Direst GP advisor service located with GP surgeries across Greater Preston.

Direct people to the Preston Help Direct Office, including the Help direct Information points in Preston including Sahara Asian Women's Network Minerva Centre Preston,  Prison Community Engagement Centre, Preston City Council, Town Hall and Gateway.

Preston C.A.B

Open Monday to Thursday 9.15am - 3.15pm. Friday's 9.15am - 12.15pm, appointments only. 

Address - Town Hall Annexe, Birley Street, Preston, PR1 2QE

Telephone - for advice call 01772 822416 and for appointments call 01772 906434

Preston C.A.B offer basic benefits advice and debt advice.

CAP - Christmas Against Poverty

Open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.

Address - Longton Community Church, 110 Clydesdale Place, Leyland, Preston, PR2 7QS

Telephone - Enquiries - 0800 3280 006 or Church office - 01772 457973

Email - Sharon Hay on sharon.hay@capuk.org or telephone 07941844524

Christmas Against Poverty provide budgeting advice, money management advice courses and respond to referrals from other agencies.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Preston South and Chorley

Open Tuesday to Thursday, contact the Centre Manager Jill Jackson.

Address - Calvary Christian Fellowship, Ward Street, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5HR

Telephone - 07964786521

CAP provides money courses to help with budgeting.

Consumer Credit Counselling Service

Consumer Credit Counselling Services provide debt advice over the phone.

Call - 0800 138 1111

Community Finance (Lancashire)

Community Finance (Lancashire) provide debt counselling and financial advice.

Call - 01772 556877

CGA Community Gateway Association

CGA Community Gateway Association provide tenant support, sheltered  housing and support to assist with bidding to downsize.

CGA has 2 approved caseworkers for RBL, a Rent officers, VF assist with Housing Benefits and DHP.

Address - Deltic House, West Strand, Preston, PR1 8UY

Call - 01772 268124 or 0800 9530213 or Jackie Bird on 01772 268124

Open - 8.30am - 5pm. Appointments are available outside of office hours.

Turn2us work in partnership with CGA and provide benefits and debt advice for you.

Care Housing

Care Housing is an intensive housing management and includes tenancy rent arrears.

Tenants have individual support workers because of their special needs and have exempt status.

Care Housing is looking to provide this service in Preston in the future.

Address - Suit 206A, Business First Centre, Davyfield Road, Blackburn, BB1 2QY

Telephone - 0845 4377367

Open - Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm

Community Support and Information Centre

Address - Age Concern Central, 30 Cannon Street, Preston, PR1 3NS

Telephone - 01772 270725

DISC

DISC provide benefits and debt advice on Thursday and Friday 8.45am - 4.45pm.

Address - Recycling Lives Building, Essex Street, Preston, PR1 1QE or 103 - 104 Church Street, Preston, PR1 3BS

Telephone - 01772 723061 or 01772 558863

Email - compass@disc-vol.org.uk

Empower Housing

Empower Housing Association specialise in providing housing for adults with disabilities enabling them to live within their community independently.

They provide benefits and debt advice, housing advice and advice on utilities. They are open 24/7, office hours 9am - 5pm.

Telephone - 01257 260712

Great Places including Ashiana and Space New Living

Great Places Housing Group provides affordable social housing across the North West. The financial inclusion team,
Provide tenant support.

Telephone - 0300 123 1966

Headway (ABI)

Headway Central Lancashire provide benefits and debt advice. If you situation is complex this will be referred to other agencies.

Address - Sir Tom Finney Way, Preston PR1 6RU

Telephone - 07557 123 493

Email - services@headwaycentrallancashire.org.uk

Help Direct

Help Direct assist with making referrals for you.

Telephone - 0303 333 111

Home Housing including Stonham

Home housing association is one of the UK's largest providers of high quality housing and integrated housing, health and social care.

Telephone - 0345 1414663 or call 0845 6063033 - option 1

Housing 21

Housing 21 provide tenant support, including benefits and debt advice. Visit Housing 21 for more information.

Telephone  - 0345 6070 272

Intact

Intact offer Work Clubs Tuesday and Thursday 1pm - 3pm and free daily computer classes.

Address - 49 Whitby Ave, Ingol, Preston, PR2 3YP

Telephone - 01772 760760

Making Space for adults with mental health needs

Making Space are a national charity and leading provider of adult health and social care services. Supporting housing and healthy living opportunities.

Address - 24 De Lacy Street, Preston, PR2 2DD

Telephone - 01772 202725

Email - enquiries@makingspace.co.uk

Places for People

Places for People provide a wide range of property and asset management services - from market rent and affordable housing, to student and leasehold management. 

They provide homes and support to help customers live independently and play a positive role in their community. Including advice on benefits and debt advise.

Telephone - Kerri Johnson on 01772 666209 for benefit advice or Samantha Duffy on 01772 667134.

For debt advise call 0800 1381 111 and mention Places for People.

Open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm.

Preston Community Network

Address - Brentwood House, 15 Victoria Road, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 8PS

Telephone - 01772 717461

Email - Julie Humphrey on Julie@preston.org

Progress Housing inc New Fylde Housing and New Progress

Progress Housing Group are a not for profit housing provider who owns and manages over 10,000 homes.

They have been delivering housing related services to communities for over 25 years and are one of the UK's leading supported living providers for people with autism and learning disabilities.

Telephone - 01772 450600

RBL - Poppy Advice

The Royal British Legion help to ease the burden of financial pressure for thousands of serving and ex-serving personnel every year.

Providing specialist compensation advice, help with debt and emergency situations, and can support you through grant applications.

Telephone - 01257 244699

Recycling Lives UK Ltd

Recycling Lives Charity aims to reduce homelessness and reoffending by supporting men and women into stable housing and employment. They later added food redistribution to their model, in partnership with FareShare, to reduce food waste and tackle food poverty.

Address - 1A Essex Street, Preston, PR1 1QE

Telephone - 01257 654321

Regenda was Wyre Housing

The Regenda Group regenerates places and works with people to create the opportunities they need to thrive.  

Affordable housing is the starting point, but working in places where they can make a difference and operate across the housing and construction sector, in care and support, and in training and employment.  

Address - Regenda Limited, Regenda House, Enterprise Business Park, Northgate Close, Horwich, Bolton BL6 6PD

Telephone - 01204 814 125

Contact - Regional Financial Inclusion Manager for Greater Manchester and Wyre on 07966 970 727 or email Kelly.Farrell@regenda.org.uk

Open - Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am - 1pm

Salvation Army

Providing practical help for people in need, defend those who are vulnerable and abused, and fight against injustice. The services provided are diverse, reflecting the needs of the communities they serve.

Offering drop in accommodation support, Food bank, Job Club and basic IT skills training.

Address - Harrington Street, Preston, PR1 7BN

Telephone - 01772 555425

Email - Info.sapreston@gmail.com

Open - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am - 3pm and Thursday 9am - 12.30pm

Shelter

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services.

Address - Blackburn Housing, Advice Centre, 69 Preston New Road, Blackburn

Telephone - 0808 800 4444 or 0344 515 1844 or mobile on 07824412892 - type talk for people with hearing difficulties is available.

Email - Info.sapreston@gmail.com

Open - Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. The telephone advice line is open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am till 5pm.

Onward Homes

Onward Homes was previously Symphony Housing are leading provider of quality, affordable homes for rent and sale in the North West.

Onward offer help and support to vulnerable people facing a range of challenges, and create strong and vibrant communities that customers can be proud to be a part of.

Onward believes that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why their committed to building new homes throughout the North West for those in housing need.

Contact information is available at Onward - Contact Us.

SSAFA - the Armed Forces Charity

SSAFA understand the unique demands of service life, whether it's on UK soil or overseas.

Support is available for people at any stage in their military career; from the youngest recruit to the oldest veteran - no one's service is ever forgotten. SSAFA have more than 5,000 trained volunteers who provide personalised, face-to-face support to those in their local area.

Whatever you're facing - from debt or addiction to mental health problems - the Forces and their families can rely on SSAFA and their personalised support to help them through it, for as long as it takes to get that person's life back to where they want it to be.

Address - Fulwood Barracks, Preston, PR2 8AA

Telephone - 01772 260462

Turn 2 Us

Turn 2 us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially.

Anyone can be a missed pay-cheque, illness or bereavement away from a real financial crisis, which is why Turn 2 Us can help you find the support you need to get back on track.

The Benefits Calculator takes less than 10 minutes to complete and it will tell you which means-tested benefits you may be entitled to, including tax credits.

The Grants Search can help you look for funds that might be able to give you a grant or other types of help.

Turn 2 Us also award their own grants from the Turn2us Elizabeth Finn Fund, the Turn2us Response Fund, and the Turn2us Edinburgh Trust.

Visit Turn 2 Us to get in touch and get the help you need.

Welfare Rights Service (Lancashire)

Lancashire County Council's Welfare Rights Service will provide help with:

• Appealing a benefit decision
• Increasing benefit take-up with pensioner population
• Information about benefits for carers

Lancashire County Council have developed free online training courses and guides on various benefit subjects.

The courses are free of charge and you can register with an email address.

Your Housing, Including Harvest, Manchester and District and Eaves Brook

Your Housing Group is a new generation of housing provider. With a pioneering, creative workforce, they are working efficiently and effectively to build as many quality houses as possible to play their part in solving the national housing crisis.

Address - Tustin Court, Unit 2, Portway, Preston

Telephone - 0345 345 0272

Welfare Benefit Advocacy

Preston Muslim Forum serves as first point of contact for any issue that matter to the community.

This includes practical support, form filling for all government and local authority benefits and entitlements, liaising with agencies on behalf of clients to resolve basic and complex queries, appeals and reviews of benefits, assistance with medical and work capacity assessment, advice on money matters.

Their holistic approach also includes support services for social housing, referrals and signposting for cases related to debt, domestic violence, homelessness, immigration and dealing sensitively and appropriately with clients with special needs.

Address - Preston Forum Rear of 158 Castleton Road, Preston, PR1 6QH

Telephone - 01772 889000

Email - prestonmuslimforum@live.co.uk