Almshouse charities around the country do an excellent job of supporting those in need, especially when you consider the unique challenges they face, often occupying traditional or listed buildings.  With technology progressing so rapidly, it is so important to ensure  your almshouse’s personal alarm system is still sufficient in 2022.  With the digital telephone switchover fast approaching, it has never been more important to think ahead.

The current analogue phone networks rely on physical components like copper wires to carry voice signals between users.  This system is known as PSTN, or Public Switch Telephone Network.  When you make a call, switches in the network create a circuit between the caller and recipient.  The worldwide network is now almost entirely digital, meaning that only the oldest sections still use analogue technology.  This digital network, known as ISDN, has all but replaced PSTN.  However, even these digital calls still depend upon the old PSTN circuits.  The current system is undeniably ageing.  Due to more complex demands, the network is struggling to keep up.  To meet the growing need, BT plans to retire both PSTN and ISDN by the end of 2025.  This technology is called VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol.  It allows users to make telephone calls via an internet connection.  This system offers many benefits to users, including cheaper calls and faster connections, particularly over long distances. 

If you are still using pull-cord alarms or other outdated systems, it is probably time for an upgrade to a newer, future proof system.  Pendant alarms are a reliable, cost-effective solution to keep your residents safe. Users can choose to wear the pendant on a discreet wrist strap or a comfortable neck cord. Whenever they need assistance, they simply press the pendant button.  A 24-Hour Monitoring Team will respond within seconds and arrange whatever assistance is needed. The pendants are waterproof for use in the bath or shower and, crucially, they are built to last.  A standard pendant has a 7-year battery life plus an impressive range of 100 meters from the alarm base unit.  Other types of devices, such as fall detectors, smoke detectors and GPS-enabled alarms offer even greater reassurance.  

So if you have not updated your system in years, you probably need to act soon. With the digital telephone switchover, scheduled for completion by 2025, its likely the equipment in your almshouse use an analogue connection and will therefore be impacted by the switchover.  But do not worry, the good news is that updating your system is quicker and easier than ever.  

This article was supplied by Careline365. Their contact details are free phone 01603 964306 or via email at keyaccounts@careline.co.uk

First posted April 21, reposted February 22

The decision to develop or refurbish property is never one taken lightly. This is true with your own house and money, but even more challenging when acting as a trustee for an organisation with a substantial history of supporting those in housing need. You have to be certain that what you plan to do secures a legacy for future generations. 

CAF Bank has worked with a number of organisations on a range of successful projects.  The Association asked them to share some of their knowledge with members which has been detailed below: –

11 things to think about as you prepare your finances for development

Charities Aid Foundation Bank

1. Be clear about your aims. Is the idea of the project to generate increased impact, increased income or both? Is it about maintenance or development? Clarity at Board and Executive level helps prevent the project scope moving away from the original ambition and subsequent  problems.
2. Choose your professionals. Very few of our clients have all the skills in-house to drive a development. Take time in choosing your professional team, making sure that they are the right fit for you. As with many areas of charitable life, neither the cheapest or most expensive is a guarantee of the right fit.
3. Check everything you know. Many organisations have extensive “corporate memories” which can be incredibly useful; especially if you are developing on your own land. But it is equally important to check everything. My own experience includes finding out in the middle of a planning permission exercise that the charity I was a trustee of didn’t actually own the land we thought we did.
4. Check your governance. During the development you will need to make sure that you can enter into significant contracts. Making sure that the board meets the requirement of the Governing Documents, that you are quorate and that conflicts of interest are dealt with are just three of the areas of governance you should consider.
5. Think about your finance mix. Will you be funding this just from reserves, from grant or from borrowing? Think about certainty, flexibility and conditions. Think about what happens in the future and about what happens if things don’t work out. Short term supporters’ loans can really help projects but they need to be repaid and you should also understand what happens if things don’t go as well as planned.
6. How much do you need? There is normally a multiphased approach to any major project and it is important to consider not only contingencies but also changes in costs  since original estimates were sought; and the level of certainty in those first figures. At times we have seen a “per square foot guesstimate” later reported as a formal project number; which then contrasted significantly with the tenders. As this is written in late 2021, build cost inflation is a significant factor.
7. Plan your future finances. You will need to think about the future. Make sure that you think through and document your assumptions on income and costs. Whether or not you are looking for repayable funding, you should think about what may change and the impact it will have.
8. If you need funding, engage early. Having early conversations with potential funders helps you  understand the parameters and conditions which might impact your project.  For example, will your architect need to provide a Funder Collateral Warranty?  If so, have they been appointed on this basis?
9. If you need funding, think about your history. Many grant and loan funders will review your published history. This will include information from the Charity Commission and other regulators. Common areas to think about are whether there are any regulatory comments or questions; such as whether accounts are marked as “Qualified”. And, as an aside, accounts marked as qualified are not a good thing – they mean the auditor or examiner has expressed a concern. If your financial history shows losses or challenges, think about providing explanations. For example, if you have made discretionary grants or had unusual expenditure.
10. If you need funding, think clearly. We never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make sure that when you engage with funders that you are clear on your project, what support you need, as well as certainties and uncertainties in the project.
11. With construction, it’s (partly) all about the paperwork.  We are all focussed on the actual building development, but making sure the paperwork is comprehensive is incredibly important. The construction contracts will underpin what must be built and how the relationship with all parts of the development team works for both yourselves and your funders. Agreeing these at the start helps massively in any challenges that may occur.
12. (A final bonus point) Finally, it is all about the beneficiaries. There will be challenges during any project, but it is worth making sure that you focus on the original aims and the impact on the beneficiaries. They will provide you with the motivation to overcome the obstacles.

The Charities Aid Foundation enables charities to do more life-changing work with lasting benefits for all by providing them with funding and finance solutions including banking, investments, fundraising tools and social investment.

We are a charity and champion for better giving and for over 90 years have helped donors, companies, charities, and social organisations make a bigger impact. Through CAF Bank we offer simple and straightforward day-to-day banking designed exclusively for charities.

We believe in the power of people and the almshouse movement; which is why we have been delighted to earmark £20m to support Almshouse finance needs including refinancing existing loans, refurbishments and new developments. To help celebrate the Almshouse Association’s 75^th Anniversary, we are offering a discounted arrangement fee to 0.75% for the next 12 months and you will always have the chance to talk directly to experienced Relationship Directors.

The CAF Bank

To find out more about their work, you may want to take a look at their work with The Finchley Charities.

Contact details for CAF Bank limited:

CAF Bank loans are non-regulated products.
Loan applications subject to credit assessment. Security will be required.
Charity assets may be at risk if you do not keep up with the repayments for a mortgage, loan or any other debt secured on them.
If you’re thinking of consolidating existing borrowing, you should be aware that you may be extending the term of the debt and increasing the total amount you pay.
CAF Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 204451).
CAF Bank Limited Registered office is 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ. Registered in England and Wales under number 1837656.

The products/services and claims of 3rd parties are provided for information purposes only and not endorsed by the Association. It is important that members satisfy themselves that the services, qualifications and relevant membership of professional bodies meet their particular needs.

Reverend Michael Jackson, who was a director of St John’s Winchester Charity for 26 years, recently published a book on spirituality. He shared his thoughts with The Almshouse Association on the great importance of spiritual development alongside physical and mental health

“If almshouses are to provide holistic care then it is of great importance that residents have the opportunity to nurture their spiritual lives as well as their physical and mental health.  Indeed that was often a particular focus of those who established almshouses.  Much has been written about the economic and healthcare implications of our ageing population, but it remains of great importance that we do not overlook the spiritual development of residents.

For twenty six years I was director of St. John’s Winchester Charity, one of the oldest members of the Association, which with its own medieval chapel has a long tradition of Christian care.  I was also on the Executive Committee of The Almshouse Association for some years representing Hampshire charities.  I was ordained as an Anglican priest during my time at the Charity and as a non-stipendiary minister assisted in a benefice outside Winchester whilst continuing my full time job at St. John’s.  I developed an interest in what helped our residents to cope in later life, and was particularly interested in the role faith played in this.  During my time at St. John’s I led a number of conferences and workshops exploring these issues.  One such conference which I chaired for The Association in 2005 was entitled ‘The Spiritual Care of Older People’ and held at St. John’s Hospital Bath.  It was always my hope to write more fully about this subject, but that has taken longer than I envisaged because after retirement from St. John’s I spent some years as house for duty vicar of a parish in the Yorkshire Dales.  My book has though now finally seen the light of day.  It is entitled Still Love Left: Faith and Hope in Later life,* and has a foreword by the Bishop of Leeds. 

Still Love Left draws inspiration from poets, writers and Christian theologians to help readers embrace old age in ways that strengthen their faith and build a deep sense of hope in later life.  It explores the theme of ageing and spirituality from the perspectives of past, present and future. Through these lenses I consider the spiritual gains which help us to approach old age positively and the qualities which most exemplify a fulfilled old age.  I have tried to meld my own experience with current thinking on the subject and to draw insights from a wide range of literary sources. 

I am deeply inspired by the way faith and literature engage with each other so draw on poets and novelists as readily as theologians!  It is a short book but written with a view to slow reading and reflection.  I hope it might inform both trustees and staff of almshouse charities and also residents interested in exploring this subject. “

The Reverend Michael Jackson

[*Still Love Left: Faith and Hope in Later life is published by YouCaxton Publishers at £9.99 and details can be found on their website: https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/still-love-leftmichael-jackson/] 

Posted 18 Jan 22

As part of this year’s Charity Fraud Awareness Week, The Almshouse Association is reminding members of the importance of protecting their charities against fraud and cybercrime.

Trustees can take measures such as appointing a suitable person to champion counter-fraud work throughout the charity, performing stringent checks and due diligence, and assessing each year how well fraud controls are working, what new risks there may be and what improvements are needed.

Further information on Charity Fraud Awareness Week can be found here https://preventcharityfraud.org.uk/

Additional resources are provided by the Charity Commission https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protect-your-charity-from-fraud

And the National Cyber Security Centre also has a small charity guide https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/charity

Posted 21 October 21