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Social Justice

This website lets you see how much hidden financial support you’re eligible for

Lightning Reach says the average successful applicant is able to claim £1,000 in cost of living support

Financial support is available in the cost of living crisis, but it’s often hard to find. A tangled web of grants, benefits, and funds mean millions of desperately needed pounds in cost of living help often go unclaimed.

Take broadband social tariffs: Just 3.2 per cent of those eligible to access these discounts actually make use of them. But now a website collecting hundreds in one place – from benefits to charity grants to social tariffs and occupational funds – promises to make that easier

Lightning Reach says its “one stop portal” has helped over 40,000 people access £4m in funding, with the average successful applicant claiming £1,000.

Compared to existing benefits or charity grant calculators, the portal pulls together support from a range of sources into one place – aiming to save users time as well as uncovering potentially hidden pots of money.

The start of April is set to see millions fall into fuel poverty, with council taxes and energy prices set to increase from the first of the month. While 4.5 million people were living in fuel poverty last year, National Energy Action estimates that will rise to 7.5 million when price hikes hit.

Ren Hooi, a former management consultant who founded Lightning Reach during the pandemic, describes the existing routes to funding as “a really complicated process trying to navigate what’s available and apply for it”.

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Lightning Reach’s portal. Image: Lightning Reach

Users enter their information, including postcode and biographical details, and then are told what support is on offer.

For example, they may be unaware of grants available for former teaching assistants or Royal Air Force veterans.

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Organisations signed up include the Royal British Legion and Lambeth Council.

For some grants, where organisations have partnered with Lightning Reach, you are able to apply directly through the portal. Otherwise, the site will direct you towards the application.

If support is not available, users are notified with an email when something becomes available which they are eligible for.

“We really want to be, ultimately, a platform that can facilitate millions of pounds – or even billions in the long term – in financial support out to people,” said Hooi.

“I think we want to be raising awareness of what’s out there, making the whole process of finding and applying massively easier, so people who are stressed out don’t drop off in the middle of an application.”

The Big Issue also has a comprehensive guide on the cost of living help available, including support with transport costs, finding a job, and food banks. Read it here.

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When most people think about the Big Issue, they think of vendors selling the Big Issue magazines on the streets – and we are immensely proud of this. In 2022 alone, we worked with 10% more vendors and these vendors earned £3.76 million in collective income. There is much more to the work we do at the Big Issue Group, our mission is to create innovative solutions through enterprise to unlock opportunity for the 14million people in the UK living in poverty.

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