04 February 2010
Service to help tenants claim £125,000
A money advice campaign has been launched this week by a Herefordshire housing association to help tenants to claim up to £125,000 in benefits and support.
The news comes in the same week as Citizens Advice revealed that £16bn in income-related benefits and tax credits goes unclaimed in the UK in a year.
The CAB is calling on the government to set ambitious targets to tackle the problem.
Kemble Housing, part of the West Mercia Housing Group, has joined forces with the CAB to offer a free money advice service to its Herefordshire residents. Advice workers are available to provide one-to-one appointments, home visits and ongoing support, and can also assist tenants with appeals and disputes.
Since November 2009 the service has already helped Herefordshire residents to claim or re-coup more than £61,000 on their behalf. And now staff at the housing association are calling for all other Kemble residents who need assistance to get in contact.
Karen Pritchard, assistant director of Kemble Housing, said: “The take up of this service demonstrates the need for residents to get the right advice and support. This is particularly the case for those on lower incomes, who are the most financially excluded.
“Our experience in Herefordshire supports the Citizens Advice Bureau’s report about the situation nationally. Benefits provide a lifeline and can release the all-consuming pressures of continued money worries. This can restrict people from playing a full role in society, for example getting into work or training or giving their children the security they crave.
“But our service is about more than just benefits. It’s also important to look at other things such as re-negotiating loans, reducing bills through changing suppliers and of course how to deal with rent arrears.
“We are delighted that our own advice service has already helped tenants, but we are aware that some people who are in money difficulties bury their heads in the sand. Our campaign aims to reach these people and ensure that they can start to take control of their finances rather than letting their debts take control of them.”
The CAB report has been published on behalf of 27 charities and focuses on the take-up of five key benefits - Income Support, Pension Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and housing and council tax benefits.
It says:
- Four in five low paid workers without children missed out on tax credits worth at least £38 a week
- Up to half of all working households do not claim housing benefit worth an average of £37.60 a week
- An average of £13 a week in council tax benefit is not being claimed by up to three million households
- Up to 1.7 million pensioners are missing out on an average of £31 in pension credit payments.
Any Kemble Housing tenants interested in getting money advice can contact the housing association on 01432 377900.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
West Mercia Housing Group, based in Bromsgrove, manages approximately 23,500 homes across the West Midlands, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The group is structured to facilitate local accountability and the provision of high quality local services.
Founded in 1998, the group consists of Whitefriars Housing Group, Harden Housing Association, Nexus Housing, Kemble Housing and Herefordshire Supported Housing for Young People Project (SHYPP).
West Mercia Housing Group is a development partner with the Homes and Communities Agency. It is the lead member of the Spectrum Development Partnership that consists of Advance Housing Association, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, Central Borders Housing Group, Heantun Housing Association, Herefordshire Housing, Nehemiah UCHA, Stafford and Rural Homes, Severnside Housing and Solihull Community Housing.
For further information please contact Val Hunt or Nikki Cheung, at The Bridge Group, on 024 7656 0440, or v.hunt@bridge-group.co.uk