Social landlord Plus Dane Housing has teamed up with a financial support portal to help its residents reduce their bills.  

Online service Lightning Reach helps people to find and apply for a wide range of personalised support in one place, including grants, benefits, help with bills and other vital resources. 

Users complete a profile by answering a short questionnaire to quickly see a range of support they are eligible for, get updated when more support is added, and apply for multiple sources of support directly through the portal. 

Plus Dane is now promoting the service to all its residents, particularly those in need of financial support to help pay for an unaffordable or unexpected cost, like food or utility bills, disability adaptations, or replacement furniture or white goods. The social landlord has also made the portal available to its staff.  

Lightning Reach matches users to more than 2,500 schemes from charities, organisations, and councils across the UK. It has facilitated more than £13m in financial support for its users. Successful applicants have saved an average of over £1,000.  

Emma Sneyd, head of social impact at Plus Dane, said: “We’re excited to be working in partnership with Lightning Reach and look forward to seeing how their portal can help our customers and colleagues make savings that could make a real difference. We know the cost of living crisis is still having a big impact on many of our customers and as we head into winter, we want to be able to offer the most useful support possible.” 

Rhiannon Sheridan, Chief Operating Officer at Lightning Reach, said: “With winter on the horizon, our partnership with Plus Dane will be pivotal in extending vital financial support to households across Cheshire and Merseyside, especially as rising energy bills continue to put pressure on households. We have seen real success working with other housing associations to make a positive impact, so we’re excited to collaborate with Plus Dane to help their residents find and apply for the support they deserve.”