Pictured above: Katie Moran from Whitefriars Housing Group with the new debt advice cards

Whitefriars Housing Group has received regional recognition for a pioneering project to help tenants find their way through the 'money maze'.

The news follows an announcement made by Citizens Advice this month that £16bn of benefits and tax credits go unclaimed in the UK every year. This is because people find the system too complex or do not know what they are entitled to. 

Whitefriars, working with Gedling Homes, is helping to tackle this through an initiative which signposts people, who are struggling with finances, to the local service they need. Its achievements include producing a pack of 35 debt advice cards tailored to local areas in Coventry. These are used to help residents find the right advice quickly on things such as claiming benefits, finding employment and accessing credit unions. 

Whitefriars Housing Group is one of seven organisations which has received recognition at a special event for tackling such problems as part of the Midlands Cohesion project. 

The Midlands Cohesion project aims to build communities by finding and sharing practical solutions to problems that can lead to a breakdown of neighbourhoods such as debt, unemployment, hate crime and racial abuse. It is sponsored by Whitefriars Housing Group, Orbit Housing Group and Midland Heart Group.

To recognise the work completed throughout 2009, experts from the health, education and local authority sectors came to learn from the region's largest housing providers plus others at an event held the Nishkam Centre, in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Delegates attended in-depth sessions to increase their knowledge on topics including tackling financial exclusion, creating successful mixed-tenure neighbourhoods, giving frequently ignored groups a voice and engaging with specific deprived communities to help break down barriers caused by differences such as age and ethnicity.

Professor Richard Tomlins, a nationally recognised expert in community cohesion, has been leading the programme. He said: "It is important for organisations to have the opportunity to share their experience and learn about creating positive diverse communities. Many of the barriers that people face don't need to be there, but the key to removing them is understanding why they exist. This project gives the chance for people to share and discover best practice in a practical way. "

Rachel Hobbs, director of housing services at Whitefriars Housing Group, said: "Over the years while taking part in the Midlands Cohesion programme we have run projects to tackle issues from domestic violence to fire safety. This year it seemed timely to find a way to help people that are excluded from communities because of money problems. 

"Without the right advice it can be difficult for people to find out what services are available to them. So we developed the cards to help people through the maze of money advice services available. We recognise that our customers are individuals with individual needs; this project is all about meeting those needs in a personal way."

Organisations that took part in the 2009 Midlands Cohesion Project include Whitefriars Housing Group, Orbit Housing Group, Midland Heart Group, Gedling Homes, Aspire Housing, Sandwell Council and West Midlands Police.