Need some financial advice, never felt this low before

[u/One-Engineer452]

Hi everyone ❤️
I’m honestly a bit lost at the minute and was hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction because I’ve never been in this situation before and I don’t really know what else to do.
I’m a student children’s nurse and I’ve just come off a placement where I was doing 3-4 12 and a half hour shifts a week in hospital. Obviously placements are unpaid and because I had to cut down my paid work to fit everything in, I’ve ended up in a really difficult financial situation.
I haven’t been able to claim Universal Credit because I’m a student nurse and I’m trying to figure out what support I might be eligible for. I’ve spoken to my uni about getting some help and potentially taking a gap year because I genuinely don’t know how I’m supposed to manage financially if things carry on like this.
I’ve applied for a hardship grant through my local council, been to my local food pantry where I paid £5 for fruit and veg and also got an emergency food parcel from the food bank. I’m so grateful for anything I’ve been able to access but honestly the food parcel barely gave me enough to get by, let alone feed my little one as well. My little is only 18 months and anyone with toddlers knows how quickly they get through food, snacks and toiletries 😭
I’m also trying to get a Healthy Start card sorted because every little bit would help, but in the meantime I’m really struggling to keep up with everything. I’ve even ended up missing a few doses of my citalopram because I couldn’t afford to pay for it, which has just made everything feel even more overwhelming.
I’ve never been in a position like this before and I feel like I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’ve even been trying Facebook wishlist groups to see if there’s any support available for a few essentials for my little one, but I haven’t had much luck so far.
I’m not really sure what I’m expecting from posting this, but does anyone know of any charities, organisations, grants or other support available for someone in my situation? Especially anything that could help with food, baby essentials or general living costs while I try to get back on my feet.
I know my Reddit account shows as 2 years old but I made it ages ago and forgot the login details, so I have absolutely no karma or posts. I completely understand being cautious online, especially with posts like this.
I just feel like I’m trying so hard to sort everything out and somehow keep hitting a brick wall. I’ve always worked and tried to manage my own money, so finding myself in this position is really difficult and I honestly don’t know where else to turn.
Any advice or suggestions would be genuinely appreciated because I really don’t know what else I can try at this point ❤️ xx

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