Being diagnosed with cancer is a difficult time. As well as coping with the treatment, cancer can affect work, your income and increase your costs.
However, there is a lot of help available and the following agencies can offer advice and support:
Benefits advice
Age UK
Age UK provides independent, impartial and expert information, for those receiving a state pension, on a variety of topics including benefits, legal advice, heating costs and more. You can contact them via telephone, their website or face-to-face in local communities.
Contact
0800 678 1602 (National number)
01206 368 420 (Colchester)
01255 473 346 (Tendring)
Visit the Age UK website
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice offers FREE confidential, independent and impartial advice – online, over the phone and in person – through a network of independent charities.
Contact
03444 111 444 (National Advice Line)
Visit the Citizens Advice website
Citizens Advice has branches in Colchester, Maldon, Tendring (Clacton and Harwich) Find your nearest branch
Colchester Borough Council (including the library and community hub – Colchester borough residents only)
Contact
01206 282 600 (General Colchester Housing Benefit and Council Tax office Advice Line)
Visit the Colchester Borough Council website
Contact the benefits team online
People living in Colchester can also access benefit advice via the hub at Colchester Library. A drop-in service is available there between 9am-5pm (Monday to Friday).
Contact
01206 505 855
Email the benefits advice team
Find out what services are on offer via the library hub
For specific help with Universal Credit, please contact Jobcentre Plus
Essex Outreach Support (via Peabody)
This service offers short-term support to people over the age of 16, living within the Essex area, who are experiencing a range of problems that are impacting their health, financial and housing wellbeing.
Contact
0800 288 8883
Email the team
Visit the Peabody Care and Support website
GP Care Advisors
Care advisors are based at your surgery and can offer benefits advice. Please contact your local GP surgery for more information. GP Care Advisors can arrange to visit you at home, if it is not possible to visit or telephone the local surgery.
Jobcentre Plus
A government-funded employment agency and social security office that aims it is to help people of working age find employment in the UK. Administers claims for benefits such as Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, and Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Contact number
0800 055 6688
Branches
Clacton, Colchester and various other locations throughout Essex.
Visit the Jobcentre Plus website
Macmillan Cancer Support Helpline
Macmillan’s National Support Line Service offers support with accessing benefits and other financial advice, as well as emotional and practical support.
Contact number
0808 808 0000
Visit the Macmillan website
Signpost (Tendring)
Registered charity providing a range of free core services to help people find employment. This includes supported Internet access for benefit applications.
Contact numbers/branches
01206 861 800 (Colchester)
01255 688 683 (Jaywick)
Visit the Signpost (Tendring) website
Email the team
Turn2us
Turn2us is a national charity that helps people in financial need gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face – through partner organisations.
Visit the Turn2us website
This service is a purely online resource.
Debt advice services
Christians Against Poverty
Helps people find a practical, lasting solution to debt and poverty via a network of local Christian churches.
Contact
0800 328 0006
Visit the Christians Against Poverty website
Email the team
Debt Advice Foundation
A registered National debt advice and education charity offering free, confidential support and advice to anyone worried about loans, credit and debt.
Contact number
0800 043 4050
Visit the Debt Advice Foundation website
National Debtline
An independent charity dedicated to providing free debt advice by phone and online to people across the UK.
Contact
0808 808 4000
Visit the National Debtline website
Payplan
Free debt help and advice to people struggling with multiple debts. They provide debt solutions and advice, allowing people to take control of their finances.
Contact
0800 280 2816
Visit the Payplan website
Step Change
Free, confidential and expert debt advice online or over the phone. Advice is based on a comprehensive assessment of your situation with practical help and support for however long it is needed.
Contact number
0800 138 1111
Visit the Step Change website
Contact Step Change online
The Money Advice Service
Free and impartial money advice, set up by the government. They provide advice and guides to help improve your finances, tools and calculators to help keep track and plan ahead and support over the phone and online.
Contact
0800 138 1677
Visit the Money Advice Service website
Email the team
The Salvation Army (debt advice and emergency assistance)
The Salvation Army helps people manage what they owe and works alongside them to make a realistic plan for repaying their debts.
This free debt advice service can contact creditors on a person’s behalf to explore and negotiate options like repayment holidays and more realistic repayment plans.
As well as helping people who are experiencing homelessness, they support families who have hit hard times, people who have been made redundant, become ill or are experiencing benefit delay.
The Salvation Army also offers emergency assistance to people in need (meal vouchers/food parcels).
Contact
0207 367 4500
Visit The Salvation Army website
Email the team
Other support and advice
Carers UK
A telephone advice and support service, online forum. Provides fact sheets and guides for carers.
Contact
0808 808 7777
Visit the Carers UK website
Essential Living Fund
Support for those in crisis. Provides small financial grants, furniture, food vouchers and white goods.
Contact number
0300 790 0124
For more information and details of the eligibility criteria, visit the Essential Living Fund website
Essex Connects (online only)
An online forum to find local activities and to help you to get in touch with hundreds of local charities, voluntary groups, and community sector services, based in Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Tendring, Maldon, Uttlesford, Epping, Harlow, Basildon, Billericay and Wickford.
Visit the Essex Connects website
Food banks
Food banks give free food to people who are struggling financially. Visit the Trussell Trust to find a food bank near you.
Contact
01722 580 180
Visit the Trussell Trust website
Email the Trussell Trust
Independent Age
An older people’s independent charity offering regular friendly contact.
Independent Age can provide you and your family with clear, free and impartial advice on issues such as care and support, money and benefits and health and mobility, via, advice, fact sheets and/or regular telephone calls.
Contact
0800 319 6789
Visit the Independent Age website
Email Independent Age
Living Well Essex (online only)
The website (Essex County Council in partnership with Healthwatch Essex) aims to help Essex residents take care of their health and well-being, manage health conditions, and find information about support and services in the local area. They also provide information on benefits and finances, staying safe, and tips on staying healthy and active.
Visit the Living Well Essex website
Scope
Scope is a disability equality charity that provides practical advice and emotional support (including benefits and financial advice) via their helpline, our online community, through a range of employment and child sleep services, community engagement programmes, and more. All of their services are developed to achieve their strategy; Everyday Equality.
Contact
0808 800 3333
Visit the Scope website
Email Scope
Tendring Mental Health Hub
A community clothing shop that offers physical and mental health support for issues such as loneliness and isolation, housing problems and money worries, as well as debit and welfare benefits advice, via a drop-in service.
It was launched by the Tendring branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau in 2015 with support from Active Essex, Essex County Council, Essex’s Police and Crime Commissioner and Tendring District Council (TDC).
Contact
01255 377 080 (ext 101)
Address: 148-150 Old Road, Clacton-On-Sea, CO15 3BA.