North Devon Homes is helping customers in need this Christmas

Whilst Christmas for many people is often a time for celebration, for others it can be a time of sadness, loneliness and worry.

The ongoing cost of living crisis continues to have a significant impact on finances and the everyday choices we have to make, which at this time of year can be overwhelming.

As a community landlord, we work closely to support our customers throughout the year, and we know that yet again 2023 has been another challenging year. And, sadly this year seems to have been especially tough for more of our customers, due to a wide variety of reasons.

Back in 2020 when Covid appeared, we set up a special Christmas hardship fund to provide a festive treat for residents who had been hit by the effects of the pandemic.

Over the past three years we have continued to provide this fund, which now supports customers in need throughout the year with help towards things like winter fuel payments and the replacement of essential white goods.

This fund also enables us to continue to gift Christmas treats to customers who have been identified and nominated by North Devon Homes staff as facing tricky times, those who are in need of a positive lift or those who may be spending the festive period alone. 

This year we have had a record number of nominations which is sadly indicative of the current economic climate.

So just before Christmas, our team of Christmas elves selected some items for these customers which they put into boxes, which were very kindly donated by our friends at Atlas Packaging.

They then hand delivered the gifts, which ranged from a Christmas treat to a Christmas dinner for a large family. We really hope these boxes of kindness helped to spread some festive cheer.

As the door closes on 2023 and we head into a new year, we are committed to continue doing what we can to support our customers.

We encourage any customer who needs help or advice or is struggling to pay their rent, to please come forward and talk to us. 

Our offices are open from Wednesday, December 27 to Friday, December 29 from 8.30am to 4pm each day.

We then close for the New Year and reopen on Tuesday, January 2 from 8.30am for our usual hours.

For any emergencies outside of our working hours, please call 0800 917 0619 or 01271 312500.

 We hope all our customers have a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very Happy New Year.

There are many ways to get in contact with North Devon Homes including calling 01271 312500, emailing customercare@ndh-ltd.co.uk or filling out an enquiry form on our website at www.ndh-ltd.co.uk