One Call, That’s All
Transforming lives, one call at a time
One Call, That’s All (OCTA) is an award-winning two-year pilot testing a more coordinated response to food and fuel poverty.
It operates through two pathways:
Pathway 1: Providing specialist telephone-based support including immediate relief, income maximisation, benefits and debt support and longer-term casework
Pathway 2: Working through place-based charity partners to provide trusted support within local communities.
Both pathways test the same core principle: bringing organisations and support together around the person, rather than expecting people in hardship to navigate multiple services themselves.
Financial hardship rarely begins and ends with one bill.
Behind difficulty paying for energy may be insufficient income, unclaimed benefits, debt, food insecurity, ill health, caring responsibilities or essential household needs.
Support for these challenges exists, but people are often expected to find and coordinate it themselves. OCTA brings that expertise together around the person.
Pathway 1: The OCTA Customer Journey
One referral. One trusted relationship. One coordinated pathway.
1
Identify
A frontline team identifies someone who may benefit from wider support
2
Refer
One simple referral takes less than ten minutes
3
Discover and stabilise
Within 48 hours, a dedicated caseworker explores the household’s circumstances and responds to urgent needs
4
Coordinate and support
The caseworker coordinates specialist support, which can continue for up to 12 months
The person doesn’t navigate the system. The system works around them.
One Call, That’s All is currently accessed through our participating referral partners and is not open to direct public referrals.
Pathway 2: Place-Based Community Support
Alongside telephone-based support, One Call, That’s All also offers face-to-face, community-based support in Luton and Leicester.
Utilita Giving has funded nine full-time frontline workers, based within nine local charities, to provide dedicated support to people in their communities.
By working closely together with Utilita Energy Hubs, these charities offer joined-up help that reflects local needs and creates real, lasting change.
Key Impact
1,599
Beneficiaries
£4,043,497
Income gains identified
£1,006,060
Income gains realised
£103,488
Debt written off
£122,230
Food vouchers distributed
£50,814
Fuel vouchers distributed
£177,013
Material aid distributed
Updated August 2026
Behind every number is a story
Each figure on this page represents a person or family who didn’t have to wait for help. Whether it was heating for a cold home, food on the table, or a listening ear - that one call made all the difference.
Stay tuned as we continue to update this page with real-time impact from across England, Scotland and Wales.
Help us take One Call, That’s All further
We want more people experiencing financial hardship to benefit from coordinated, longer-term support. We are looking to work with energy suppliers and networks, commissioners, funders and other organisations that share our ambition.
Our OCTA Partners
“One Call, That’s All was created to change how people experience support. By offering joined-up telephone support for Utilita Energy customers alongside local, community-based help through the charity sector, we’re ensuring people only have to ask once. This approach goes beyond crisis response and it’s about restoring dignity, reducing stress, and helping people build more secure, financially resilient futures.”
- Helen Boardman, Executive Director, Utilita Giving
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