Cost of Living Crisis - Help & Support for Tower Hamlets Residents

Read here what help is available for residents in Tower Hamlets who are struggling with the increase in cost of living. If you require any specific support that is not listed below, you can contact our team either by calling 0800 145 5343 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) or email info@healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk.

Foodbanks

Bethnal Green Food Bank - Raine's Foundation School, Approach Road, London, E2 9LY. Open every Wednesday 2-7pm. For more information call 07398 776145 or email info@bowfoodbank.org.

Bow Food Bank - Bromley by Bow Community Centre, St Leonards Street, London, E3 3BT. Open every Monday 8:30am - 12:30pm. For more information call 07398 776145 or email info@bowfoodbank.org.

Neighbours in Poplar - St Matthias Community Centre, 113 Poplar High Street, Poplar, London, E14 0AE. For more information, call 020 7531 0190 or email enquiries@neighboursinpoplar.com.

Osmani Centre - 58 Underwood Road, London, E1 5AW. Open every Wednesday 12-3pm. For more information call 020 7247 8080 or email eet@osmanitrust.org.

Salvation Army, Kerbey Street, E14 6AJ. Open every Friday 11am-2pm. For more Information call 020 7987 9405.

St Luke's Food Bank, Alpha Grove, London, E14 8LH.  Open every Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 12pm. For more information call 020 7538 9862 or email fuzz@stlukesmillwall.org.

Island Gardens Food Bank/ Parish Pantry, Christ Church, Isle of Dogs, 151 Manchester Road, Cubitt Town, London, E14 3DR. Open Tuesdays 10:30am-12:30pm. For more information call 07883156391 or email tom.pyke@parishiod.org.uk.

Royal Foundation St Katherine's, 2 Butcher Row, Limehouse, London, E14 8DS.  Supporting a limited number of families.  For more information email help@limehouseaid.org.

​​Free Hot Meals

Whitechapel Mission, 212 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ. Free breakfast served every day from 8am until 10am.

Affordable Groceries

The Food Store is a place you can go every week to pick up large quantities of food for a small amount of money, all while being helped to access support for your finances and wellbeing. It is a membership-based service accessed only through referrals. In return for a weekly membership fee of £3.50 you will be able to pick up £20 to £30 worth of groceries and household items. Members will be set up with access to support services such as welfare benefits advice and employment support to deal with the underlying issues, e.g., debt, housing, income maximisation. Membership will be reviewed every 3 months to check progress and confirm member's continued engagement with services. To sign up or for more information email TheFoodStore@towerhamlets.gov.uk. 

Food Stores are open in these venues:

• Burdett Estate, 5a Limborough House,Thomas Road, London E14 7AW
• Cyprus Street Estate Office Food Store, Bethnal Green, London E2 0PD
• Whitechapel Food Store, 15 Romford Street, London E1 1HX
• Manorfield Primary School Food Store, Wyvis Street, Poplar, London E14 6QD
• Blackwall Food Store, 11 Oliphant St, Blackwall, London E14 0GB
• Bow Cross Food Store, Bow Cross Community Hub, Priestman Point, Rainhill Way, London E3 3EY
• Shadwell Food Store, 418-422 Cable Street, London E1 0AF

Energy Advice

Bromley by Bow Centre’s East End Energy Fit service offers free, impartial and confidential advice for people who are struggling to pay their gas, electricity or water bills to help you keep your home warm, stay on top of your bills and save money. They run on-line, phone and face-to-face Covid-safe sessions. Tel: 07719 867933/ 07903 088971, email: eastendenergyfit@bbbc.org.uk.

Green Doctors offers free and impartial energy advice to help Londoners stay warm, save money and live greener. These are some of the ways they can support you when you sign up for a free phone consultation:

• Help switching your energy tariff to a better deal
• Advice on reducing energy use at home
• Supporting with accessing the Warm Homes Discount or Priority Services Register
• Support with applications for energy or water debt relief
• Referring you for the installation of larger measures if needed
• Referring you to other support organisations within your community if needed
• Delivering small efficiency measures, such as LED lightbulbs

To book your free phone consultation, please fill in their online form. If you have any questions, you call 0300 365 3005 or email GreenDoctorsLDN@groundwork.org.uk.

Tower Hamlets Council

Residents' Support Scheme - The scheme is designed to support residents who are either in or at risk of being in crisis, are in need of immediate help and have no source of financial support available to them. The Residents' Support Scheme will help with short-term living costs such as credit food and gas/electric prepayment metres. Residents must be aged 16 years or over and must not be subject to any UK immigration control. The council has identified the following groups as a priority to support:

• those experiencing domestic abuse
• families with young children
• older people
• people with longer term illnesses
• people with disabilities
• people with mental health needs
• households with a pregnant person

You can apply online or email lwpqueries@northgateps.com or call 020 7520 7217.

Energy Saving Tips – The Tower Hamlets Council has put together some energy saving tips that can help you cut down your usage of gas and electricity. To read the tips, please visit the Tower Hamlets Council’s website.

You can access information about grants and assistance, such as Green Homes grant and boiler replacement programme here.

Find out information about Fuel Debt and advice here.

Debt Advice & Money Management Services

Island Advice Centre helps residents secure their statutory and legal rights, enabling them to improve their living standards and quality of life. Address: Island House, Roserton Street, London E14 3PG. Advice Line: 020 7987 9379, email admin@island-advice.org.uk or fill in an online form on their website.

Stifford Centre provide residents with resources and services empowering them to lead healthier and more prosperous lives. Address: 2-6 Cressy Place, Stepney Green, London E1 3JG, tel: 020 7790 3632, email: info@stifford.org.uk or fill in an online form on their website.

Limehouse Project provides information and advice to minority communities in Tower Hamlets. Address: 789-791 Commercial Road, Unit 2 – St Anne Street London E14 7HG, tel: 020 7538 0075 or fill in an online form on their website.

Bromley by Bow Centre offers free of charge, generalist advice to Tower Hamlets residents on a wide range of issues including benefits, housing and debt. Address: St Leonard’s Street, London, E3 3BT, tel: 07391 683612/ 07928 808 353/ 07849 253 477, email Advice@bbbc.org.uk. You can find more information on their website.

Debt Free London offers free, impartial advice on debt and budgeting. Advice centre: Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS, tel: 0808 164 2480 (Mon-Thu 10am-4pm). You can find more information on their website.

The Financial Health Centre (FHC) provides free and independent advice to Tower Hamlets residents with Debt, Welfare Benefits, Universal Credit, Employment, Housing, Money Management, Training & Job search matters. Address: Raynham House, Massingham St, E1 4EB. Drop in to book an appointment or call 0207 364 2200 or email fhc@thh.org.uk. Phone lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.

Other Organisations providing information and advice services

Citizens Advice Tower Hamlets, 32 Greatorex Street, London E1 5NP.

Telephone (reception): 020 3855 4590

Email: towerhamlets@eastendcab.org.uk

They provide Face to face advice in the following locations:

• Citizens Advice Tower Hamlets, 32 Greatorex Street, London, E1 5NP. Face to face appointments are available Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays between 10.00am and 1.00pm.
• Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, London, E14 2BG. Face to face appointments are available Mondays between 10.00am and 1.00pm.
• Whitechapel Idea Store, 321 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BU. Face to face appointments are available Thursdays between 09.30am and 1.00pm.

There is a very large demand on their services so please book an appointment in advance:

Call 020 3855 4472 or 020 3855 5234 Monday to Friday between 10.00am and 4.00pm. Or book in person at the office, 32 Greatorex Street, E1 5NP, Monday to Wednesday between 9.30am and 1.00pm. You can also book an appointment by visiting Tower Hamlets Town Hall or Whitechapel Idea Store.

They also provide advice sessions over the telephone, Monday to Friday 10 am to 4.00 pm. Call 020 3855 4472 and speak to a Citizens Advice adviser in Tower Hamlets. (Calls to this number will cost the same as calls to a landline number).

Apasen provides information and advice on benefits, housing, travel, finance, social care and other issues for adult with disabilities and make referrals to other organisations where relevant.

Their welfare rights services include:

• Advice on benefits, services and schemes
• Information on entitlements and how to claim
• Help with completing forms
• Checking that payments are correct and up to date
• Support on housing/rehousing
• Initial benefit assessments, guidance if circumstances change and helping with mandatory reconsideration process (PIP, ESA, and Attendance Allowance etc.)

Contact our information and advice staff tel: 02070012266, email: info@apasen.org.uk or contact them online. You can also drop into our head office in Tower Hamlets (Carmine Wharf, 30 Copenhagen Place, London E14 7FF)

Age UK East London offers a free and confidential information and advice service for older people, their families and carers. Their advisers are trained to help you on the following topics.

• Social care - such as finding a care home or getting some help at home, and how it's funded.
• Your income - including free benefits checks, help with applying for benefits and pension advice.
• Your home - information on staying warm at home, home adaptations and how to prevent falls.

The Information and Advice service is available Monday to Friday 9.30-17.30. To book an appointment/a home visit or to find out more information, call 020 89817124 or email info@ageukeastlondon.org.uk.

No Recourse to Public Funds - you are subject to immigration controls and have no automatic right to receive financial assistance from the state– for example, with welfare benefits or public housing. If one of the four categories below applies to you then you may have no recourse to public funds:

• You, or any dependents, have been granted refugee status by another EEA State (an EEA State is any country in the European Economic Area) 
• You are an EEA national or a EEA national dependent who are not exercising a treaty right
• You are a failed asylum seeker, or a dependent, who has failed to comply with removal directions
• You are unlawfully present in the United Kingdom

Even if you do not appear to be eligible for financial support because you have no recourse to public funds, the Council is obliged to consider whether your rights, under the Human Rights Act, are being violated or are in danger of being violated.

It could be a breach of your human rights if you are subject to:

• Domestic violence
• Inhuman or degrading treatment
• Lack of treatment for a medical condition, including mental health conditions
• Separation from your child or family
• Unfair treatment by a public body
• Disruption of your personal dignity or private life

Advice and Advocacy

Praxis – Drop-in open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am-1pm

Tel: 02077297985, Web: www.praxis.org.uk

Address: Pott Street, London E2 0EF

Red Cross Refugee Unit – By appointment only

Tel: 02077045670, Web: www.redcross.org.uk

Address: Aztec Row, 5 Berners Road, Angel, London N1 0PW

Tower Hamlets Law Centre – By appointment only

Tel: 02072478998, Web: www.thlc.co.uk

Address: 214 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BJ

Meals and Food Parcels

Hackney Migrant Centre – Wednesdays 12:30pm-3:30pm.

Tel: 07504332706, Web: www.hackneymigrantcentre.org.uk

Address:  St. Mary’s New Church Rooms, Spensley Walk (off Stoke Newington Church Street), London N16 9ES

Jesuit Refugee Service – By appointment only

Tel: 02074887310, Web: www.jrs.net

Address: The Hurtado Jesuit Centre, 2 Chandler Street, London E1W 2QT

Asylum Support, Asylum Support Appeals Project – Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2pm-4pm Advice Line: 02077293042, Web: www.asaproject.org

Address: Asylum Support Appeals Project, Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green, E2 6HG

Refugee Council – Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9.30am - 1pm and 2pm 5pm, Wednesdays: 2pm-5pm

Tel: 08088082255, Web: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk

For Free Translation services, call 0800 952 0119.

Tower Hamlets Connect Community Directory contains details of a wide range of services available to Tower Hamlets residents. These include housing, financial advice, advocacy and wellbeing services. To access the directory, please go to the Tower Hamlets Connect website

Tackling Poverty in Tower Hamlets, click here to see what support is available