Severn Trent Water agreed to offer a 70% discount on water bills for Coventry care leavers including those over 21 years old as part of their Big Difference Scheme.
Why?
Care leavers often struggle more than their peers to cope financially. Nationally the Your Life Beyond Care survey found that 20% of care leavers struggled financially, compared to 9% of their peers in the general population.
What did they do?
The Chief Executive of Coventry City Council invited a range of local businesses to discuss how they could support care leavers as part of the council Local Offer.
Severn Trent Water offered all Coventry care leavers a 70% discount on their water bills as part of their Big Difference Scheme which supports people on a low monthly income. For care leavers this is an automatic entitlement until 25 regardless of income.
In addition to the discount on water bills, Severn Trent are also looking to educate care leavers about bills and how to save water usage. They have agreed to look at offering work experience placements and apprenticeships.
Once a care leaver agreed, Coventry leaving care service provided the names and addresses of their care leavers who qualified for the support. In addition to the obvious financial benefits, young people needed to engage with their PAs and it provided an opportunity to have a wider discussion about budgeting and how they were managing.
Impact
Financial pressures on care leavers were reduced. The water bill discount is part of Coventry strategy to help care leavers cope financially.
