Simon Read: 'There aren't any signposts but financial help exists and here's how to find it'

An online calculator offered by charity Turn2us can reveal what benefits you are entitled to

You aren't alone: many people aren't aware of their entitlement to benefits (Getty Images)

I chatted to two people this week who had found themselves struggling. One was out of work in London, the other works full-time in Scunthorpe. What do they have in common? Neither knew they could be eligible for financial help.

Take Linda Taylor. Despite holding down a full-time job in Scunthorpe as a support officer for the over-55s in a not-for-profit housing association, things were getting tight. Even taking the small pension of her husband Dennis into account, rising utility bills and council tax had left the couple forced to live off their overdraft every month, and Dennis having to consider coming out of retirement.

"We weren't living the high life, far from it," Linda said. "We couldn't really afford decent food, with council tax and rent taking most of my wages." Part of Linda's job is advising older people on how to claim for benefits to which they're entitled, but she didn't know she could be in line for financial help. "Because I work full-time and Dennis was getting a small private pension, I thought that was it – we just had to struggle through. But a friend said she thought we could qualify for help."

She tried the online benefits calculator offered by the charity Turn2us. This suggested she could be eligible for housing benefit, working tax credit and council tax support. It was right. The couple were handed backdated council tax payments, as well as ongoing benefits payments of around £178 a month – comprising £120 in housing benefit, £50 in council tax support and £8 in working tax credit.

It may not sound a huge amount but Linda told me: "It made a real difference and means we no longer need to go into the red every month. We can afford to eat better and Dennis no longer has to think about coming out of retirement. It's a real load off our minds."

William Wallace of Hornchurch in East London tells a similar tale of worry when he was jobless and searching for employment. "I hadn't been out of work since 1969, so I had no idea where to turn for help," he told me. "The biggest worry was paying my rent and council tax. I knew that losing my home would make it almost impossible to get work.

"I spent about eight hours a day applying for jobs," said the 63-year-old, who has two grown-up daughters. "It took just over 20 months and more than 5,000 applications to get work." He finally landed a job as a security supervisor. "The firm I'm working for now took a chance on me, for which I'm grateful."

While unemployed, he got jobseeker's allowance, but struggled to find any information about help with paying rent and council tax. "Keeping a roof over my head was obviously a priority, but when I asked at the job centre about financial help, they said they had no idea."

However, someone suggested he look online – where he, too, came across the Turn2us website. "I found out that I didn't have to pay council tax and what my housing benefits entitlements were," he said. He then rang the charity, which told him to call his local council to sort out financial help. "They helped take a great weight off my mind," he said. "They gave me the peace of mind of knowing that while I looked for a job, I wouldn't lose my home."

There are many more people across the country like Linda and William. Whatever our politicians are claiming about the recovering economy, four out of five low-income households have seen no sign of their financial situation improving, according to new research from the charity.

Meanwhile, households who have experienced just one change in their circumstances are now twice as likely to be struggling financially, Turn2us reports. It warns that since 2010, families have seen their disposable incomes drop by £400, while the gap between the richest and poorest fifth of households has widened.

Meanwhile nine out of those 10 households that have been through a single change in their circumstances are struggling to pay for food and other essentials. Three-fifths said that the continuing struggle to cover costs was negatively affecting their health.

Despite their struggles, a third of low- income households have not checked their entitlement to benefits, the charity says. Turn2us is encouraging everyone to check what financial support could be available by using its free benefits calculator at Benefitsawareness.org.uk. If you know anyone who may be eligible for help, tell them to check out the website too.

s.read@independent.co.uk

twitter: @simonnread