How HertsHelp supports people in need with energy vouchers and cost of living support
Rapid process for distributing funds helps deliver targeted support for vulnerable households
- Over 3,900 applicants provided with financial support in nine months
- Instant distribution of Select vouchers once applications are approved
- With over £1bn distributed, Reward Gateway | Edenred has been the largest facilitator of cost of living support provided by central and local government over the last five years
Sector: Local government
Number of applications supported: 3,900+
Solution: Select (distribution of public support funds)
What they needed:
HertsHelp is an Independent information and advice service run by Citizens Advice Stevenage and Age UK Hertfordshire which also administers the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Service on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.
Recently the Council has introduced a new online form to enable people in need to apply more easily for financial support – particularly for energy and food bills as well as assistance with buying beds and repairing broken white goods.
To support that service, HertsHelp needed to work with a partner that would enable it to distribute cost of living support funds in the form of digital vouchers quickly and seamlessly.
How we helped:
Reward Gateway | Edenred has served the needs of local authorities running similar schemes for over 20 years, with more than 2.5 million beneficiaries supported through public social programmes, over £1bn distributed in cost of living support over the last five years and a beneficiary satisfaction score of 94.1% on Trustpilot.
We worked with HertsHelp to ensure it could upload successful online applications to the Select portal seamlessly and then distribute Select Energy eCodes and vouchers for other cost of living needs to recipients as soon as possible.
- “Working with the Reward Gateway | Edenred Select platform has transformed the way we process and distribute payments. We update the system with applications that meet our criteria three times a day and then can send the vouchers to people in need immediately.”
Giorgina Courtney, Service Manager for HertsHelp
What they achieved:
Since the launch of the online application form for crisis intervention, HertsHelp has approved over 3,900 applications and distributed critical funds to those that need it – the vast majority of whom live in the region’s most deprived areas.
The value of payments operates on a sliding scale dependent on the number of rooms for energy vouchers and number of people in a household claim for food support.
In addition to the financial support it provides, HertsHelp also offers information and support for frequent applicants to try and tackle the underlying causes of their need.
Looking ahead, the organisation has appointed a new Community and Engagement Officer to establish and sustain partnerships with other voluntary sector organisations that can support the people of Hertfordshire. In addition, they will focus on promoting and increasing public awareness of the service across the region.
Testament to this fully rounded approach, HertsHelp has been shortlisted for the ‘Most Impactful Social Community Programme’ category at the Reward Gateway | Edenred Appreciation Awards 2024 – an award that recognises the organisations which have had the most positive impact on their local community.
- “We’ve received great feedback from beneficiaries on how the voucher distribution works and what a help the financial support has been to them. Working with Reward Gateway½Edenred has helped to ensure that they get that support fast. It’s important though that we don’t just provide people with money, but continue to deliver relevant information and advice that gets to the root of the problems people are facing.”
Michael Longfellow, Commissioning & Monitoring Officer, Adult Care Services, Hertfordshire County Council
