Homes and Money Hubs

Find out what services are on offer from the two hubs in the borough.

What do we do? 

The Homes and Money Hubs helps residents of the borough who have debts with other circumstances that mean they require some support to help them manage their finances and deal with issues such as rent or Council Tax arrears. 

We can help you to make arrangements to pay your debts, give advice on how to budget your money and expenses, look at whether you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled too and maximise your income, help you to claim discretionary financial support or other benefits, provide emergency vouchers or signpost you to other places to get the support that you need. 

How can I be allocated a caseworker? 

You must have certain circumstances for us to be able to work with you. 

The criteria below explains what circumstances you must have to be allocated a Homes and Money Hub caseworker to help support you. 

You must have

At least two out of these three primary debts: 

  • rent arrears 
  • Council Tax arrears 
  • utility arrears (electricity, gas, water) 

Or:

  • One primary debt (one of the listed above) 

And you have at least one of the following circumstances: 

  • rent or Council Tax Arrears over £2000
  • at risk of eviction
  • significant physical/mental ill-health or disability
  • limited capacity to manage affairs
  • victim of domestic abuse
  • victim of modern slavery
  • victim of loan sharks
  • care leaver
  • have complex Universal Credit or other benefit issues, such as benefit cap, under-occupancy (Bedroom Tax), under-claiming, or migration to Universal Credit
  • have mortgage arrears 
  • a carer of a child or an adult with a disability 

Or you must be: 

  • Aged 16-18 and not in employment, education or training (NEET) 

And you must be: 

  • Living in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham 
  • Or living outside of the borough in temporary accommodation because of being placed there due to homelessness by Barking & Dagenham Council 

If you have already been allocated a case worker within the last 12 months and you make a repeat application you may not be allocated a caseworker again even if you meet this criteria unless there has been a significant change in circumstances or there is a good reason for needing further support.  

How can I apply for support from the Homes and Money HUBs? 

Applications for a referral to the Homes and Money HUBs are made online. 

We also accept applications made on your behalf from someone else. 

Make a Homes and Money Hub referral

You will need to provide some personal details and confirm what your circumstances are. 

Some basic evidence and information should be submitted with your application so we can understand what issues you have and your current financial situation and how we can best help you.

Providing evidence of your circumstances with your application form will mean we can work with you more quickly to help you with your issues. 

What happens if I meet the criteria and I am allocated a caseworker? 

Cases that meet the criteria will be allocated a caseworker to help work with you and provide you with the right support. 

Cases are allocated to case workers based on priority and how urgent support is required and may be affected by the numbers of people we are supporting. 

During times when there are lots of cases waiting for a caseworker there may be a delay in us contacting you. 

We will always try to contact you as soon as possible. 

Examples of cases that will be given priority allocation to a case worker are: 

  • threat of imminent eviction 
  • urgent food or utility need
  • other urgent or crisis situation
  • issues causing significant mental health issues, such as domestic abuse
  • members or Councillor queries or referrals 

Once a case worker has been assigned to your case they will contact you directly to discuss your situation.

You must engage and work with us otherwise we will have to close your case. 

You may need to come in to attend an interview. If you fail to respond to two attempts at contact or appointments, without good reason,  your case will be immediately closed. 

We may also require you to provide evidence to support your circumstances. We will require two months bank statements to be provided for all applications.  If we require additional further information or evidence this must be provided within seven days of the request. If you fail to respond or provide the information requested, without good reason, within seven days your case will also be immediately closed. 

If you do not engage we may refuse a new application if it is a repeat application within the last six months unless you have a good reason for not engaging on your previous application. 

Examples of good reasons for not engaging could be: 

  • suffering mental health issues or other illness that prevented engagement 
  • loss of phone service
  • bereavement

We will generally work with you over a period of one to four months to help you improve your situation. In some cases we may work with you for shorter or longer periods of time depending on your circumstances. 

When we have finished working with you we will close your case. 

Can I apply if I do not meet the criteria to be allocated a case worker? What if I still need support? 

You cannot apply for support from the Homes and Money Hubs if you do not meet the criteria listed at the top of this page. 

This is because we can only help residents who have multiple debts and other serious issues. 

If you make an application and you do not meet the criteria it will be refused and you will not be allocated a case worker. Please do not apply if you do not meet the criteria. 

Lots of residents need straightforward advice and signposting to help them resolve issues and do not need a Homes and Money Hub Caseworker. Residents can refer to:

Where are the Homes and Money Hubs based?  

Our Homes and Money Hubs are based at:

  • Barking Learning Centre (BLC), 2 Town Square, Barking, IG11 7NB 
  • Dagenham Library (DL), 1 Church Elm Lane, Dagenham, RM10 9QS

From 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. 

Visits to the Homes and Money Hubs should be for appointments only unless in exceptional circumstances. 

How can I contact the Homes and Money Hubs? 

To request help from the Homes and Money Hub for yourself or someone else you should make an application online for a referral. 

You can also contact the Homes and Money Hubs at email homesandmoneyhub@lbbd.gov.uk. 

Reasons to email the Homes and Money Hubs could be: 

  • unable to complete a referral form
  • requests for Volunteer appointments 
  • requests for information or support where criteria isn’t met, such as urgent food or utility need

We will always try to respond to your enquiry as soon as possible but during periods of high demand there may be a delay in receiving a response.