Yasmin's Story

Yasmin, a 21-year-old nursery worker, was initially furloughed and then made redundant when the country first went into lockdown. She was very distressed about her situation, as she was concerned that she might not be able to pay her rent and other essential bills. 

So Yasmin, who had not claimed benefits before, phoned Citizens Advice Liverpool who assigned her a Caseworker. The Caseworker worked with Yasmin so she could get as much help as possible. This involved assisting her directly with a claim for Universal Credit, Council Tax Support (CTS), a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP), as well as a food parcel and additional support from Liverpool City Council and the Biscuit Fund. 

But the support from the Caseworker didn’t stop there. Yasmin had a number of non-priority debts from catalogues and credit cards, plus an overdraft on her bank account. The Caseworker assisted Yasmin in negotiating a free overdraft with her bank, as well as securing payment holidays for her non-priority debts.