Latia’s Story
Latia is a single mother of four children, with no external support network. She is doing everything she can to manage independently and provide for her family.
As winter approached and the Christmas period drew closer, the financial pressure on Latia became increasingly difficult to manage. Her monthly income was not enough to cover essential household bills, leaving her short each month and struggling to afford food. In order to keep priority bills paid, she had built up other debts.
Latia was also deeply worried about being unable to provide Christmas presents for her children. At the same time, one of her children had been in and out of hospital due to health issues and had outgrown their clothes, adding further strain to an already tight budget.
On top of this, Latia’s washing machine had broken. With four children, this became a significant challenge. Although she was sometimes able to use her mother’s washing machine, she could not afford to rely on a laundrette regularly.
During our initial assessment, the following support was provided:
Supermarket vouchers
A fuel voucher
A new washing machine
Referral to an additional support service
The supermarket vouchers allowed Latia to buy essential food items and Christmas presents for her children. Applications to other support services were also completed, resulting in a fuel voucher to top up her energy meters and additional vouchers. Together, this support enabled Latia to buy Christmas presents and prepare a Christmas meal for her children and significantly reduced the immediate financial pressure she was facing.
Providing a new washing machine removed a major practical and emotional burden from the household and improved day-to-day living conditions for the family.
Looking ahead, we will continue to work with Latia to build longer-term stability. This includes creating a realistic budget plan to identify potential cost savings and arranging a free energy assessment to explore ways to improve energy efficiency in her home.
Latia benefited greatly from the crisis support provided. She shared how relieved and happy she felt to be able to buy Christmas presents and prepare a Christmas meal for her children with far less financial worry.
Ongoing support will focus on helping Latia move towards greater financial security. She plans to place her youngest child into nursery when eligible and return to work, which will help improve her financial situation in the future.
“I’m so happy I’ve met you, thank you so much. I had tears in my eyes. Thank you so very much, this makes me feel so much better. It’s so nice how there are people like yourself that care about others. I appreciate it a lot.”