People with housing difficulties expect accurate and timely advice.  Facing the prospect of losing your home, building up debts you cannot afford to pay or working out how to cope in your home, can be very stressful and not knowing who to turn to or receiving advice which is too late will only add to your worries.

We have offered housing advice for many years and have been successful in helping many people find solutions which help them to either stay in their existing home or find alternative accommodation.  This advice has always been provided face to face or over the telephone but now we can offer something that provides that advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, available to you wherever you have access to a computer.

By logging on to the Housing Help and Work Advice online service, help is available for individuals as well as for organisations which support people in difficulty, to understand what services are available to help address specific issues.

Once you have logged on and registered, you can describe your circumstances and the service will then generate a series of suggested actions to enable you to access possible solutions.

There are a range of different options to choose from.  You could simply seek information to help you with housing difficulties but there is also a section on money and debt and another on health and support issues.  There is also a section to help with finding a new job or supporting you back to work.

The online service provides advice on what we can do (or you can do yourself) and how other organisations can help.

It also provides you with an action plan which you can save or print off so you can refer to it in the future.  It also allows the document to be emailed to someone who might be helping you with your problems.

Getting started

Getting started is easy, just click on the link below:
https://housingandhelp.ehodirect.org.uk

On the first page register by placing your name, gender and date of birth in the boxes.  Telephone numbers and email addresses are optional.  The system will already be calculating options at this point so accuracy is important.

You will then be given a confidential identify number and password which can be used to log in at any time in the future.  The information you enter into the system will be totally secure and can only be accessed by you as the password holder.

Your circumstances are collected over a series of pages as follows:
-Your current accommodation;
-Household details;
-Work situation;
-Work and training;
-Financial;
-Additional support; and
-Help and advice

Please note the database of services that might be able to help you is only identified if you tick the box which says "Do you require any support or have health issues?"  A new box will then appear which asks you to explain things in more detail.

If you want advice on jobs or returning to work please tick the box which is called "Work and Training Opportunities".  This will also allow you to explain the type of job you are looking for but also practical things which help support you to get back to work.

While we have done our best to identify all the groups and organisations who work within the District and who might be able to help, we are constantly developing the system.  If you think we have missed anyone, please let us know.

We would also appreciate any views and ideas from you based on your own experiences of using the sytem.  Please contact Donna.goodchild@braintree.gov.uk