Hannah Macaulay

An estimated 7 million UK households miss out on £24 billion in unclaimed benefits each year. Stigma – societal and personal – remains a major factor. Media and political narratives frame benefits negatively, propagating an ‘it’s not for me’ barrier. While organisations are attempting to tackle institutional barriers, additional barriers remain, causing people to delay seeking support until crisis point. This matters as this unjustly causes lasting damage to themselves and others around them.

My final outcome brings people together in a facilitator-led, peer support group called Life Happens. It creates an inclusive, empowering space for all who feel support is ‘not for them’, where safety, relationship-building, belonging and recognition are at the forefront. Storytelling and shared experience normalise benefit uptake and reduce personal stigma. It recognises that a one-size-fits-all approach does not address participants’ diverse needs and therefore encourages an adaptive pathway.

By creating an earlier, informal point of intervention, Life Happens aims to build confidence to explore support at a pace and in a way that feels right for each person.