The Community Advice Hubs (The Hub), operated by the lead partner Age UK Solihull, consolidate local voluntary organisations under one roof, with the aim of providing high quality information and advice, and to give you access to the services that are best at helping you and your specific individual needs. The Hubs are open to any 18+ year old who is a resident of Solihull, or a carer of a Solihull resident.Â
What services can I access at The hub?
No matter the stage of your life, The Hub will provide you access to services and organisations, including but not limited to:
- Care in and out of the home
- Disability and long term conditions
- Mental and Physical Health
- Learning Disability
- Benefits and Grants
- Direct Payments
- Debt and Money Problems
- General Health and Wellbeing
- Leisure, Clubs, Activities and Exercise
- Employment
- Legal Problems
- Energy Efficiency
- Filling out Forms
How do I access The Hub?
The Hubs have made it as convenient as possible for you to contact them. There are two Hubs; one in North Solihull and one in South Solihull. You can use whichever is more convenient for you.Â
Click here to send email: admin@solihullcommunityhub.org.uk
Chelmsley Wood Library, Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre B37 5TN
Monday 10am – 1pm,
Tuesday & Thursday 10am – 1pm & 2pm – 4pm
Central Solihull, Lower Ground Floor, The Core B91 3RG
Monday – Friday 10am – 1pm
Monday – Friday 1pm – 4pm (appointments only)
What if I need a specialist or have a complex need?
The Hub also have caseworkers that can help you with more specific support. Each member of The Hubs are classed as ‘Hub Champions’, each with a specialist area of knowledge.Â
These include:Â
- Benefits Caseworkers (You can see the potential benefits using the table below)
- Attendance Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Help with Council Tax
- Winter Fuel Payment
- Health Benefits
- Other Benefits (Travel passes, TV Licences)
You can read more about the benefits by clicking here.Â
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
- Attendance Allowance
- Carers Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Universal Credit
- Welfare Benefits Cap
You can read more about the benefits by clicking here.
There are organisation, including The Community Advice hubs, who can help you with support and advice with your debt worries, including but not limited to: Energy Bill debts, Business debts, Consumer Credit, Contract debt, Court debts and fines, Debts to other people, Government debts, Housing debts, Joint debts, Payday loan debt, Student loan debt, and Water bill debts.
A sample of the services and organisations available to support you include:
- National Debt line
- Step Change Debt Charity
- The Money Advice Service
- Age Concern Solihull
You can read more about Debt Advice & Support by clicking here.
Â
Although The Hub teams are unable to provide you with financial advice, they can instead put you in the care of several partner organisations.Â
- HL Consulting
- Solihull Community Advice Hubs have collaborated with HL Consulting to offer complimentary 30-minute financial advice sessions. Whether you seek general financial guidance, mortgage advice, or assistance on managing your finances for care purposes, HL Consulting is here to help.
- Pensionwise
- Since April 2019, Pensionwise has been located at the Solihull Community Advice Hubs, offering complimentary and unbiased government advice regarding your defined contribution pension choices.
You can book an appointment with either HL Consulting or Pensionwise by getting in touch with The Hub by clicking here.Â
You can get in direct contact with Pensionwise on the phone or their website:
Phone 0800 138 3944Â
Website moneyhelper.org
Direct payments are made to individuals who request them, in order to meet some or all of their eligible care and support needs.Â
Direct Payments can be made to:Â
- disabled people aged 16 or over (with short or long term needs)
- disabled parents for children’s services
- cares aged 16 or over (including people with parental responsibility for a disabled child)
- older people who need community care services
To learn more about Direct Payments, click here.Â
To find out whether you could be eligible for one or more benefits, The Hub have two calculators to help you understand your potential entitlement. Â
- Age UK Benefits Calculator
- Specialises in Older People’s Benefits.
- Turn2Us Benefits Calculator
-
- Turn 2 Us holds information about other financial support that may be available to you
There is also a Benefits Cap calculator from Gov.UK, to help you see if your household benefits could be affected by the Benefit Cap.Â
- Debt Caseworkers
- Energy Specialists – as part of the Winter Warmth Scheme
- Direct Payments Caseworkers
- Complex Caseworkers – Housing, Employment, Legal Specialism
- Complex Caseworkers – Domestic Violence, Safeguarding, Police Referrals
- Disability and Long Term Conditions Caseworker
How do I access The Hub's services?
Really simple: get in touch. You will then be able to be directed to the correct specialist to assist you, to then book you in for an appointment. You can also drop in without an appointment, but we recommend making an appointment, to avoid disappointment as it can get busy.Â
Did you know about the Self Help Hub?
The Hub will support you as much as they can, but they also encourage you to self-help where appropriate. The Self Help Hub has been set up to allow this, with the purpose of facilitating you to resolve your queries and issues.Â
A lot of forms that need to be filled are available online, or conversations with organisations with which you have queries can be done over the phone. However, using a computer or telephone can be daunting to some people, especially when the purpose of their use is so important. Therefore, volunteers are available to assist you in using the equipment, as well as providing advice and support, and help you learn a new skill.
The Self Help Hub can be found in the South Solihull Community Advice Hub, at The Core
Listen to our podcast with The Hub
You can also listen to our episode of Carers Talk, our podcast for carers. We sat down with Amie Westwood, manager of The Community Advice Hub where she spoke about all the great services and support The Hub provides.Â
We have other episodes of Carers Talk for you to listen to. Learn about Wills, Power of Attorney, How to save money on your energy bills, contingency planning, carers stories; adult carers and young carers, and a new episode coming every month.Â
Listen by clicking the button below.
Contact us
Of course, you can also contact us should you need any advice, support, or signposting to a solution to your queries.Â
Phone Number 0121 788 1143
Email centre@solihullcarers.org
