Responding to MP letters

Question time in Parliament is bringing to the fore the increased government focus on the Social Housing, Affordable Housing and Private Rented Sector.

MPs are seeing a rise in complaints from tenants about housing conditions that they must act on (see recent example of a Q&A at the end of this article). Almshouse charities could find themselves in the position of receiving a letter of complaint from their local MP on behalf of a resident, to which they must respond.

We are in no doubt that members will always respond in their usual positive and courteous way, however, we have been asked to give a quick bullet point check list that some may find useful.

If you receive a letter from your MP acting on behalf of a complainant:

  • Respond quickly – a speedy response often takes the frustration out of a situation and allows the MP to see that you are treating it as a priority.
  • If you need time – respond positively but say you will investigate thoroughly and respond by …………. Give a date you are confident you can meet.
  • Investigate the complaint or ask further questions of the MP.
  • Once investigated, if the complaint is already resolved, check with all parties concerned and be brief but clear in your response, thanking the MP for their interest.
  • If the complaint is fair and as yet unaddressed, try to resolve the situation, then, once you have done so, inform the MP that it is either being resolved or has been. Giving a brief outline of the situation if needed.
  • Remember, when you receive a letter from an MP, they are doing their job, taking up cases on behalf of their constituency and they may not be aware of the detail or fully understand the situation relating to almshouses. Your response may reassure and impress them and this may actually be a good opportunity to engage with your MP. In the moment, it does not feel like a positive situation but inviting the MP to the almshouse to meet you and meet your residents may have a beneficial long term outcome.
  • If you are concerned – if the complaint is genuine and you don’t have an answer – please call us and we will work with you on a solution.

Business Questions: Social Housing Providers

Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD): Many of my constituents have written to me with concerns about unsuitable living conditions in properties owned and run by Sanctuary. My casework team has written to Sanctuary many times and I wrote to the chief executive six weeks ago, but there has been no response. I know that many other MPs and councils have raised concerns about the unresponsiveness of that organisation. Can we have a debate about the responsiveness of social housing providers, who do, after all, provide a very important public service?

Penny Mordaunt: I thank the hon. Lady for her remarks. The moral of the story is that when the chief execs of such social housing providers receive letters from Members of Parliament, they would do well to reply to them in good time, otherwise Members of Parliament will come to the Floor of the House and name the social housing provider, and the Leader of the House of Commons will be forced to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to make sure that they have heard Members’ concerns. I wish the hon. Lady well and we stand ready to assist her in getting the matter resolved for her constituents.

posted 15 May 2023

King Charles III Coronation Tea Parties!

We have some wonderful photos coming in from our members of their Coronation celebrations!

Above and below, residents, trustees, family and guests were joined by the Mayor of Newbury, Councillor Gary Norman as well as the Garston Gallopers Morris Dancers at Donnington Hospital Trust’s Coronation Tea.

At Winnocks and Kendalls Almshouse Charity, the Coronation was celebrated with a lunch for residents.

This fabulous photo shows trustees Anna Daniell and Wendy Allen serving homemade cream scones to resident, Mrs Edith Lee – aged 102! 

Everyone dressed up for the special occasion!

.
.

At Thomas Watson Cottage Homes in Barnet, Hertfordshire they marked the occasion with a Coronation tea and the planting of two trees by Mrs. Jenny Harrold, Chairman of Trustees, and Mrs Yvonne Kelly, one of the almshouse’s longest-serving residents.

And residents and staff of Wyggestons and Trinity Almshouses Charity celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III with a day of events at Lancaster House, Leicester.

The charity provided a hog roast to over 100 residents of the almshouses and care home along with specially commissioned cupcakes and refreshments.

Despite the poor weather the residents enjoyed the music from a local jazz band and watched the Coronation in the new Lancaster House facilities including in the impressive Duchy Lounge, named to honour the Charity’s unique relationship with the Crown through the Duchy of Lancaster.

We look forward to receiving more of your stories and photos !

Message to members from CAF Bank

CAF Bank – commitment and dedication

“Commitment and dedication is at the heart of the almshouse movement, with many members having served their communities for hundreds of years. Whilst CAF Bank is, by comparison, relatively youthful at just 37 years old, next year our parent organisation, the Charities Aid Foundation, celebrates its centenary.

Throughout that time, CAF Bank has understood the challenges of the sector and that stems from being part of the charitable landscape.  Our research, and work with charities, and donors, all inform our thought process and product design.  For example, when inflationary pressures, energy costs, wage demands, and a tightening of disposable income all started to form what we now know as the ‘Cost of Living’ crisis, we responded by creating a Cost of Living Resources hub (visit https://www.cafonline.org/charities/resource-hub) as well as engaging with all of our borrowers to see what help they might need, based on their circumstances.

We know that there are further challenges to come. Decarbonisation, affordability for residents and housing quality are areas that continue to be priorities. Members that are Register Providers will already have these challenges on their agendas but they are all the more difficult for those members whose almshouses are historic.  Green loans are very much on our plan for future product development.

That said almshouses do move with the times.  No longer are almshouses solely the preserve of the widowed or the retired.  Housing challenges are ever present in modern day society and almshouses are well-placed to respond to this.  A good example of this is The Poland Trust which recently completed on a once in a generation expansion of their stock.  A real highlight of the project was the average age of the first 4 new residents – around 30.  Those 4 individuals would have likely had to move out of the area they grew up in if it wasn’t for the commitment and hard work of the trustees of The Poland Trust.

Our lending function reached its 10th anniversary in 2022 and we have come a long way from that initial blank piece of paper and now stand with a loan book of £224m* of drawn and committed balances.  It’s perhaps no surprise that our second-ever loan was to an almshouse and our support of the movement remains.  When The Almshouse Association reached its 75th anniversary in 2021 we celebrated by committing a budget of £20m of  loans to almshouses with a reduced arrangement fee of 0.75%. 

We have created a dedicated almshouse page (see https://www.cafonline.org/caf-bank/secured-loans/flexible-finance-for-almshouses) on our website where you can find out more information and read case studies. We aim to build long-term relationships with our customers, as we believe this helps them to continue long-term relationships with their beneficiaries.”

CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Bank, April 2023

posted 12 April 2023

Digital switchover – what is it?

The Almshouse Association was delighted to welcome Mark Law, Partnership Manager at Careline365 to present a webinar on the digital switchover on 15th March 2023.

Mark went through how the change will impact charities with an alarm system in their properties, the technology available and how members can prepare.

A recording of the webinar is available via the link below:

What is the digital switchover?
Webinar recording

Click here to view

The digital switchover is happening in 2025 so the earlier you prepare for this the easier the transition will be.

16 March 2023

Register of Merged Charities

The Register of Merged Charities on the Charity Commission website has just been updated on the gov.uk website.

Listed are charities that have notified the Charity Commission they have merged with or transferred their assets to another charity. The mergers register is updated monthly. To view the Register of Merged Charities, please click here.

For government guidance on how to merge or link charities, please click here. The pages also include information on when to register a merger, when to link charities, advantages of linking, limitations of linking and how to apply to link charities.

Decide whether merging is in your charity’s interests.

It could be less risky and more efficient to work with another charity more informally. More helpful guidance can be found by via the following Charity Commission links:

Charities often consider merging as an option. Other options are available including holding “linked charities”. Please contact us for guidance if you are looking into merging or linking your charities. .

Charities can merge by either:

  • one charity taking over another’s work and assets
  • forming a completely new charity to take over the work and assets of all the charities involved
  • one charity taking over the management of another charity but keeping it (temporarily or permanently) as a separate entity or brand within a group.

Mergers, or other forms of collaborative working, can make better use of charitable funds and property and provide better services for your beneficiaries. For example, if two charities in the same area are doing similar work and competing for funding, a merger may be the best way to secure funding and provide a united voice.

When thinking about a merger, you must make sure that:

  • the governing documents of the charities involved allow the merger
  • all the charities involved have similar aims
  • there are sound financial and management reasons for merging.

You will need to get permission from the Charity Commission before you merge, so an early discussion with them or us could save you a bit of time.  You always need the Charity Commission’s permission to merge two or more CIOs.

Posted 6 March 2023

SHELTER: Press Release – Housing shortage

Press releases relating to trends within the social housing movement not only highlight the need for the affordable housing crisis to be high on the housing agenda, but also the opportunities that exist for almshouse charities to make a difference. One such press release has been issued by SHELTER which concerns the loss of 14,000 social homes as follows:

“14,000 social homes lost last year, as over a million households sit on waiting lists” SHELTER  26 Jan 2023

New government figures released today reveal a net loss of 14,100 social homes in England, as demolitions and sales far outstripped the number of new homes built. 

– 21,600 social homes were either sold or demolished in 2021/22, while only 7,500 new homes were built leading to a net loss of 14,100 homes. 
– In the last decade, there has been a total net loss of 165,000 social homes (between 2012/13 and 2021/22).  
– 1.2 million households in England are currently stuck on waiting lists for a social home, a rise of 5% in the last two years.  

Shelter is urging the government to make building more genuinely affordable social homes a central part of its new Levelling Up Bill, and in doing so reverse decades of decline. The charity argues this is essential to combatting the country’s housing emergency. 

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: 
“We are firmly in the red when it comes to social housing. We lose far more homes than we build every year and the losses are mounting up. The social housing deficit is at the heart of the housing emergency.”
“The fundamental lack of genuinely affordable homes has pushed millions of people into insecure, expensive and often discriminatory private renting. It is why we have over a million households waiting for a decent social home, and thousands of homeless children are growing up in temporary accommodation.”
“The solution is simple: build more social housing. The government can’t afford to allow this decline to stretch into another decade if it has any hopes of meaningfully levelling up. Instead, it must invest in a new generation of the homes we really need – secure, genuinely social housing.” 

Notes to editor: 

  • 21,638 social homes were either sold or demolished in 2021/22, including 18,881 sales and 2,757 demolitions. We have excluded low-cost homeownership from the total sales figure and have assumed that social housing sales and demolitions were previously let at social rent. Sales and demolitions data is available at: DLUHC, Live tables on social housing sales, Table 678 and 684.  
  • In 2021/22 7,528 social rent homes were delivered in England. Data is available at: DLUHC, Live tables on affordable housing supply, Table 1006C 
  • To calculate the estimated net loss of social housing we have compared the number of social rent homes completed with the number of social homes lost through sales and demolitions. Between 2012/13 and 2021/22, a total of 84,215 social rent homes were delivered, but 193,845 social homes were lost through sales and 55,392 were lost through demolitions. This works out as a total net loss of 165,022 social homes in the last ten years. 
  • In 2022 there were 1,206,376 households on social housing waiting lists in England. This is an increase of 5% since 2020 where there were 1,145,132 households on social housing waiting lists. Data is available at: DLUHC, Live tables on rents, lettings and tenancies, Table 600  

SHELTER 26 Jan 2023

Wiltshire Life: Finding Friendship

In his third and final look at Wiltshire’s almshouses for Wiltshire Life magazine, Gary Lawrence visits two rural communities that provide a secure, happy home for people from an incredible variety of backgrounds.

“It is a long way from the troubled hills of Romania in the carefully manicured splendour of St John’s hospital in Heytesbury but Alex Wilson has many reminders of her homeland around her.

She and her husband Barnabus’ well-ordered flat on the first floor of the Grade II listed almshouse, which gazes out over beautiful lawns, is decorated with paintings and photographs that trace her circuitous route here.

She and her English mother fled the communists who had seized power and came to England, the place of her mother’s birth, in 1955 when her father, the celebrated philosopher and author Constantin Noica was arrested and eventually jailed. “My father was not liked by the regime because he was a philosopher and they rook him away,” recalls the 78-year-old. “His only sin in this world was being able to think and write things that were nor communist based.”

Her father was eventually freed in 1964 after a campaign by the fledgling Amnesty International and support from the likes of Graham Greene, a friend of her mother. “it was a difficult time, very hard but so long ago now,” she adds….

Gary Lawrence, Wiltshire Life December 22

Wiltshire Life has kindly provided us with a full copy of this third article which can be read in full here.

Our thanks to Gary Lawrence for taking the time to raise the profile of the almshouse movement through his sensitively written articles about the beautiful almshouses of Wiltshire and shining a light on the work of the volunteers and staff and the lives of their residents.

Further reading:
Providing a safe haven over the centuries | (almshouses.org) | November 22

Almshouses in Wiltshire Life: Centuries of supporting independence | | October 22

December 2022

Christmas Fund spreading cheer

Every year, The Almshouse Association is very pleased to be able to offer Christmas vouchers to almshouse residents over 90 years old and this year has been no exception!

It has given us enormous pleasure to post out 599 Christmas vouchers to almshouse residents all over the country and we could not be more thrilled to have received these wonderful photos of residents receiving their Christmas gifts.

The story of our Christmas legacy fund goes back over 70 years, when Major Allnatt, a successful businessman and philanthropist who worked closely with and supported our founding General Secretary, Leonard Hackett, left a Christmas legacy to the Association. The Almshouse Association invested the money to support his wish that every Christmas, gifts were given to almshouse residents over 90 years old. He wished his name to remain a secret until his death, many years ago now, but his legacy lives on, and it has been a great pleasure for the Association to be able to continue to honour his wishes every Christmas.

“What can I say our resident was delighted and repeatedly asked why me, I told her she was special and the where the gift had come from; I delivered on Christmas Eve , could you please pass on the sincere thanks from The Tattershall Bede House Trustees and of course our 91 year old who has been a resident for 30 years plus. ” Kathy Roberts 
Trust secretary 
Uppingham residents Sheila and Mary gifts were delivered by Rev Debbie Smith-Wilds, St John and St Anne almshouses
Mr-Brooks-Pontefract-and-Ackworth-Almshouse-Charity
Almshouses of Countess Elizabeth de la Warr – Lady de la Warr presents to giftcard to resident Alan
Norwich Housing Society

Pictured top and below, residents from Liversage Trust in Derby and Municipal Owen Carter Almshouse Charities in Dorset

Christmas vouchers are delivered to the homes of residents by Davenport Homes Chair David Corney
Residents at Philipot’s almshouses receive their gifts at their Christmas party
Sir John Jacob’s Almshouses in Gamlingay
Residents at Maldon Housing Association almshouses
Resident Dot, Cardington, Cople & Eastcotts Almshouses
Resident Maud receiving her gift voucher she has lived at the Hornchurch Housing Trust almhouses since 2006 and will be 98 this year . She loves playing bingo and socialising in the communal hall with the other residents.
Resident Jean, The Robert Thompson Almshouse Charities 
Sloswickes Almshouses – resident Mrs Antcliffe
Sloswickes Almshouses – residents Mr & Mrs Downe
Residents at Thorngate Charities received their legacy giftcards
More Thorngate residents of 90+ years young!
Paula Alderson, Homeyard Homes, Veryan

It is fair to say that when The Almshouse Association Christmas Fund began over 70 years ago there were a lot less 90-year-olds in almshouses; every year we have more and more residents in almshouses that are over 90 years old. This is a great testament to the almshouse movement and the caring dedication of trustees and staff!

Beware Scammers

According to Government figures for 2022, fraud is the most experienced crime in the UK, accounting for around 40% of all crimes.

As the cost-of-living crisis puts pressure on people’s finances, it is more important than ever that people know how to spot potential fraudsters to minimise the risk of becoming a victim.  

TV Licensing has issued the below helpful guidance:

TV Licensing is working to help customers protect themselves against being scammed. We are continuing to ask people to STOP – CHECK – ASK if they receive any suspicious communications that appear to be from TV Licensing.

STOP

CHECK

ASK

Scammers will attempt to trick you into giving away your personal or bank details. Always be wary of letters, emails, texts or phone calls that promise you money or a refund.

Has the sender spelt your name correctly, and are there any grammatical errors? You should also make sure they have included the correct licence number, which you can check on the TV Licensing website.

If you’re ever unsure about a communication you have received, it’s always best to ask someone – perhaps a friend or trusted advisor. You can go to the TV Licensing website and sign into your licence at www.tvl.co.uk/yourlicence to check if anything is wrong or call TV Licensing on 0300 303 9695. 

scam email example

We have prepared some social media posts to highlight how people can avoid being the victim of a scam. It would be great if you could post these to your social media channels to help us get the message out and keep people safe. You can access social media images here.

You can also find more information about how to avoid scams and how to report one here. We can also deliver free Zoom training sessions to help you support your clients to spot scams, which can be arranged at a time to suit you.

If you need any further information to help you to support your clients, or you have any queries and would like to know more, please get in touch, and I will endeavour to help. 

Dan Cooper | Senior Communications Specialist | TV Licensing

We thank TV Licencing for providing this information to our members which you may wish to pass onto your residents and colleagues.

posted 15 December 2022

Condensation and mould: what can we do?

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Standards and safety in social housing made the headlines in November, as the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill was brought to the Commons for scrutiny.

Following the conclusion of the coroner’s report into the death of Awaab Ishak, which found that the two-year-old died due to the mould in his social home, Secretary of State Michael Gove wrote to council leaders and social housing providers calling for greater action to improve housing conditions. Gove also gave an emotive speech to Parliament, in which he promised that new regulations would provide greater protection for social housing tenants from unscrupulous landlords. On 26 November, over 250 tenants met November for the first meeting of the Social Housing Quality Residents Panel, which is charged with influencing the government’s plans on improving social housing conditions. The Panel is one of several provisions in the Bill which have received cross-party support.

What can almshouse charities do?

Condensation is the process where water vapour becomes liquid. It is the reverse of evaporation, where liquid water becomes a vapor. Condensation happens one of two ways: Either the air is cooled to its dew point or it becomes so saturated with water vapor that it cannot hold any more water.

Condensation occurs where moisture in warm air comes into contact with a cold surface and turns into water droplets.  It is generally noticeable where it forms on non-absorbent surfaces such as windows and tiles, but it can form on any surface, only being noticed when mould appears or the material rots. Condensation tends to happen more in rooms where there is a considerable amount of moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchens, or in rooms where there is a number of people.

The moisture in the air comes from a number of sources within the house.

Normal day to day activities produce relatively large quantities and it is estimated that a five-person household puts approximately ten litres of water into the air every day. This estimation does not take into consideration the effects of any heating. Cooking, washing and drying clothes, our breathing and personal washing all play a part.

In the kitchens and bathrooms where the warm air contains a considerable amount of moisture, when the air then circulates to cooler parts of the house, for example to a bedroom, it will condense on any colder surface. The fact that houses have become more effectively sealed has led to any moisture produced being retained and providing better conditions for condensation to occur.

Ventilation is only effective if consistent throughout the entire house

Poor air circulation causing the formation of stagnant air pockets in areas, such as behind furniture and in cupboards, will tend to encourage condensation and the first evidence is usually the formation of mould growth. A further culprit is that of drying clothes in the home, especially over radiators.

Condensation can cause mould to form on walls, furniture and soft furnishings such as curtains and can even damage plasterwork and rot wooden window frames. In the case of anyone who has a breathing condition such as asthma or bronchitis, it is most important that every effort is made to control condensation because mould and house mites may make these conditions worse.

Minimising and Preventing Condensation

In order to minimise and hopefully prevent condensation occurring:

  • It is best to ventilate the room to the outside after having a bath or shower. Opening a window and closing the door will help.
  • Dry clothes should be dried out of doors if possible or in a cool area leading to less moisture being held in the air at any one time.
  • Where clothes are dried inside the home, the room should be ventilated and wet coats should be hung outside the living area to dry.
  • Tumble dryers should be vented to the outside unless they are condensing dryers.
  • A minimum amount of water should be used when cooking and lids kept on pans.
  • Extractor fans should be used where available.  
  • When filling baths it is best to run the cold water first and then add the hot which will reduce the amount of steam considerably.

Encouraging your residents to follow the above simple measures will make a great difference and hopefully avoiding condensation or, at the least, minimise its occurrence.     

30 November 2022