03 February 2010

Service to help tenants claim £110,000

A money advice and arrears campaign has been launched this week by a Worcestershire housing association to help tenants to claim up to £110,000 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.

Nexus Housing, part of the West Mercia Housing Group, has joined forces with Worcester Housing and Benefits Advice Centre, part of Worcester CAB, to offer a free money advice service to its Worcestershire residents. The service is part of a special campaign launched this week to tackle rent arrears and debt problems. An advice worker is 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 Worcestershire residents to claim or re-coup more than £53,000 on their behalf. And now staff at the housing association are calling for all other Nexus residents who need assistance to get in contact.

Catherine Birkby, assistant director of Nexus 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 can often face significant financial difficulties.

“Our experience in Worcestershire 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 reducing bills through changing suppliers, how to deal with rent arrears and where to get advice on re-negotiating loans.

“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 Nexus Housing tenants interested in getting money advice can contact the housing association on 01905 342600.

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