Lightning Reach - Financial Support Portal
We’re proud to partner with Lightning Reach, a financial support portal which makes it easier for our residents to apply for a wide range of personalised support in one place.
With rising energy bills and cost-of-living pressures, accessing financial support may feel overwhelming.
Lightning Reach will connect you to over 2,500 financial support schemes from charities, organisations, and councils across the UK, making the process of accessing financial support easier.
Over £15 million has already been awarded to individuals through this portal, with successful applicants receiving an average of £1,070.
What support is available?
A wide range of support is available, including:
- Help with energy and utility bills
- Support for rent, council tax, and other household costs
- Funding for essential home items like furniture and appliances
- Assistance with food, clothing, and daily essentials
We’re really excited to see the impact this will have.
By working with Lightning Reach, we aim to remove barriers and make it easier for you to access support when you need it. It only takes 10-15 minutes to set up a profile and check what support is available.
How to apply
Lightning Reach uses secure technology to make the application process quick and safe for you to access support. When you sign up, you'll make a profile by answering a few simple questions. It only takes a few minutes to complete.
The portal will use your answers to match you with any support you might be eligible for. In some cases, you can then apply for support directly through the website and provide all the information and evidence required.
Please visit Lightning Reach Support if you need any assistance completing your application.
To begin accessing financial support with Lightning Reach, please access their portal below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lightning Reach
Lightning Reach is an organisation that helps anyone facing financial hardship to receive support, recover from shocks, and achieve financial resilience.
Is it safe to use Lightning Reach?
Lightning Reach is very safe because it uses modern and secure technology to protect your information when you share your details and documents with the organisations you apply to. This is safer than sending personal details and documents by post or email.
How is my data used?
The portal collects and sends all the information that organisations need to assess your application, making it faster for you to get the help you need. We only send this to the organisation when you are making an application and have consented to share the information. You can read the Lightning Reach privacy policy here.
Why do I need to connect my bank account? Is it safe?
We ask you to connect your bank account so we can see evidence of your financial situation. This gives us read-only access to the last three months’ of transaction information and account balances. It does not provide any more information than would be included in a bank statement, but it allows much faster processing of your application. We cannot see your login/password information or access your bank account.
Plaid is the technology provider that Lightning Reach works with to allow the platform to securely connect to your bank. The company is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number: 804718). They are a trusted partner to companies ranging from popular financial technology applications to Fortune 500 companies and major banks.
I'm struggling to access the portal?
Please visit Lightning Reach Support if you need any assistance completing your application.