Welfare benefits advice – we’re here to help
If you’re struggling with benefits, unsure what you’re entitled to, or need help understanding changes to your payments, our friendly advice team is here to advise and support you. We’ll listen, guide you through your options, and help you to find practical solutions that make a real difference.
We also offer support in Bangla and Sylheti
We can offer advice and support on a wide range of welfare benefits issues, including:
- Benefits Check – checking what benefits you’re eligible for
- Help with Universal Credit& Housing Allowance
- Applying for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction
- Applying for or appealing benefits decisions
- Support with sickness and disability benefits (e.g. PIP, DLA AA)
- Help with the Bedroom Tax and other deductions
- Managing benefit overpayments or sanctions
- Understanding changes to your income or circumstances
- Accessing additional financial support
Find answers to questions about Limehouse Project’s free services, community support, volunteering, and ways to get involved.
Limehouse Project is a community-based charity in Tower Hamlets, East London, dedicated to supporting residents through free advice, employment training, education, health, and wellbeing services. Our mission is to help families and individuals improve their quality of life and achieve greater independence.
We provide a range of community support services, including:
• Advice & Advocacy on welfare benefits, housing, immigration, and debt.
- Education & Training, such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and employability courses.
- Family Learning & Women’s Empowerment programmes.
- Health & Wellbeing workshops and community activities.
You can book an appointment by:
- Calling us on our main office number (listed on our Contact Us page).
- Sending an email with your contact details and the type of support you need.
- Visiting our office during our advice drop-in sessions (times are listed on the website).
Please note that some services require appointments, while others are open on a first-come, first-served basis.
Most of our services are completely free for residents of Tower Hamlets and neighbouring areas, thanks to funding from local authorities and charitable grants. Any sessions with a small fee (such as specialist training) will be clearly advertised.
Our services are open to everyone in the community. Some specific projects may have eligibility criteria (for example, families with young children or individuals seeking employment support), but we’ll always guide you to the most suitable service.
We are proud of our multilingual team. Many of our staff and volunteers speak Bengali, Sylheti, Urdu, Spanish, and Arabic, (africian) alongside English. If you require interpretation in another language, we will do our best to arrange support.
We welcome volunteers who are passionate about helping their community! You can get involved in areas such as administration, advice line, teaching, community outreach, or events.
To apply, simply visit our Volunteer page or email us your CV with a short note about your interests and availability.
Yes. Many of our advice and learning sessions are available via phone, email, or video call, depending on your needs. Please check our service pages for up-to-date information or contact us to arrange remote support.
We are funded through a mix of grants, local authority partnerships, charitable foundations, and community donations. Every pound we receive goes directly toward delivering free services and supporting vulnerable residents.
You can make a secure donation online through our Donate page. (Friends of Limehouse – Donations of any size are greatly appreciated and help us continue offering free advice, education, and empowerment opportunities to local families.
Our client, a Bangladeshi man living with his wife, one dependent child, and two non-dependents in a three-bedroom Poplar HARCA property, faced serious financial and health challenges.
After suffering a heart attack at work in 2019, he was made redundant due to ongoing health issues. This led to rent arrears and financial hardship, made worse by non-dependent deductions from his Universal Credit. The client also struggles with both mental and physical health conditions, and his wife, who is his carer and has health issues of her own. Language barriers made it difficult for him to understand benefit letters or seek help.
Our adviser, Fatema Talukder, applied a holistic approach and supported the client in the following:
- Applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Universal Credit – Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element of Universal Credit, adding £416.90 per month.
- Applied for Disabled Person Freedom Pass
- Housing Benefits – non-dependent deductions removed from his Housing Benefit, saving £93.02 per non-dependent deduction each month.
These changes significantly improved the client’s financial situation and reduced stress and worry.
Testimonial from S.R.
Without your help, I wouldn’t have known what to do. You understood my situation, supported me with my benefits, and always checked on my health and well-being. Thank you for going above and beyond.
I’m very grateful for your support, explaining everything clearly, and helping me reduce my rent repayment plan. Thank you, Fatema.