Marianne had been an NCHA customer for 33 years, living in her three bedroom home in the Cinderhill area of Nottingham. She’d slowly been building up more rent arrears over time, until the situation became so bad she was at risk of being evicted.

Marianne hadn’t been engaging with the support offered to her until Aimee, her Community Coordinator, and Tina, from the Customer Accounts team, managed to establish a relationship with her. They discovered that she was struggling with a number of issues including debt, mental health problems and hoarding.

By gaining her trust and working together, Aimee and Tina were able to help Marianne start to address the issues she’d been avoiding for some time. Aimee worked with her on getting her home clearer, and Tina helped her understand and improve her finances. Marianne was eligible for some benefits she hadn’t been claiming, and she also had money in pensions she’d been unable to access.

Unfortunately, while she was making good progress, Marianne discovered a bad water leak in her home that meant she needed to move out to a hotel while repair work took place. After work started it was decided that the home would not be suitable for Marianne to return to and so NCHA’s team began looking for a new home for her.

In December 2023 a new home was found for Marianne, a two bedroom bungalow in the Old Basford area of Nottingham, just a mile or so away from her old home. She managed to move in just before Christmas and the bungalow has given Marianne the fresh start she needed. She was able to clear her rent arrears with the pension payments she received, and she’s proud that she’s made her new home lovely and homely.

Marianne says: “I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received from NCHA. I was embarrassed about how bad things had got at my old home and I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it, but I’m glad I finally did. By seeking help I was finally able to turn things around and I love my home now. I recently became a grandma again, and now I can have my lovely grandchildren in my home and enjoy time together here. I honestly never thought I’d be this happy again. Thank you to Aimee and Tina, I couldn’t have got here without you.”

Tina says: “Marianne is a lovely lady, who’d found herself in a tough spot. I’m so glad that we were able to support her to improve her situation. She deserves every happiness in her new home. I’d encourage any customers in a similar situation to reach out to us; we’re here to help you, that’s our job.”

At NCHA we offer non-judgmental help to customers who need it. You can find a range of money and benefits advice on our website, or you can contact us directly if you need more personalised support.