Latest News | The Almshouse Association

Diversifying your Charity Board

On Wednesday 16^th June members joined a webinar on diversifying your charity board.

The webinar looked at the current make-up of charity trustees boards across the UK and gave tips for opening up the trustee recruitment process to make it more accessible for a wider range of people. The webinar was delivered by Sophia Moreau from ‘Getting on Board’.

A recording of the webinar, as well as a copy of the slides and Getting on Board’s guide to recruiting trustees can be found below.

If your charity is struggling to recruit trustees, please do contact us at admin@almshouses.org.

DID YOU KNOW? – Only one third of trustees are women, 8% are people of colour and one third are under the age of 50. 59% of charities report that their board does not reflect the communities they serve. And 74% of charities struggle to find the trustees they need. Why is this? What could improved board diversity do for charities? What are the tried and tested practical actions you can take to recruit and retain diverse trustees?

About the Speaker
Sophia Moreau is a multi-award winning policy reformist. She currently runs the Public Affairs and Policy department of the Small Charities Coalition, representing 91% of charities in the UK.

Sophia freelances as an opinions writer and investigative journalist, with clients including the BBC, iNews and Huffington Post. She is Head of Student Rights at the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, a charity working to end the motherhood penalty in work, education and training. She is also a volunteer at SOS!SEN, a charity fighting for the of disabled children. For the past 3 years, Sophia has formed part of the 0.5% of charity directors in the UK under 25.

Posted 23 June 21

Website: Important changes coming into effect

On 14th June 2021 we will be making some updates to the back end of our website.

Although you won’t see any changes to the front end of the website at this stage, the changes will eventually allow us to offer online event booking, accept membership and event payments online, and any changes members make to their web profile will be carried over to our database. This, we hope, will enable members to update their details and manage their membership at a time that is most convenient to them.

For members who are already registered on the website:

‘*_{Forgot your password’ link on Login page}*

You will notice that when you login for the first time from 14th June, you will not be able to login using all your existing credentials.

Although your username (i.e. your email address) has been carried over into the new system and therefore remains the same, you will need to reset your password.

To do this, simply click on the ‘forgot your password’ button at the bottom of the screen. You will then be sent a link by email to reset it.

Anyone registering on the website for the first time (after 16th June)

You can do this as per normal . You should simply fill in the required fields, including your membership number.

Note: There is no restriction to the number of individuals per membership charity that can register on our website, however, each registration must use a different email address.

If you experience any issues when resetting your password or are not sure what you need to do, please do not hesitate to contact us on Tel: 01344 452922 or at almshousesupport@almshouses.org and we will be more than happy to help.

Posted 7 June 21

HRH visits Bond’s Hospital almshouses

The Almshouse Association was delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales to Bond’s Hospital Almshouses, Coventry on 25th May 2021, during The Almshouse Association’s 75th anniversary year.

As part of his Royal ‘Away Day’ in Coventry, The Prince of Wales took the time to visit Bond’s Hospital, run by the Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities to meet with residents and trustees, and to cut a cake to celebrate The Almshouse Association’s 75^th anniversary.

Upon his arrival, HRH was greeted by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, who presented Liz Fathi, Chair of The Almshouse Association, Nick Phillips, Chief Executive of The Almshouse Association, Mr Victor Keene MBE – Chairman of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities, Mrs Virginia Rigby – Vice Chair of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities, Mr Richard Kenyon – Chairman of Bond’s Hospital Estate Charity and Matthew White, Chief Executive of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities.

_{Mr Victor Keene MBE presents HRH with a book}

HRH was invited to sign the visitor book of the charity in the prayer room where he was also presented with a book by Michael Orten. The title of the book is ‘For so long as the world shall endure’ which was a phrase used in the Will of Thomas Bond (the charity’s Founder) in 1506 and relates to the term of the charity that he set up over 500 years ago.

_{HRH, The Prince of Wales chats with Mrs Eileen Nixon}

Prince Charles then went out into the garden where he spent time speaking to the thrilled trustees and residents of Bond’s Hospital and asking them about their interests.

Nick Phillips, The Chief Executive of The Almshouse Association said,

“His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales once again showed his great commitment to the residents of almshouses. He is so interested in what they have to say and their individual stories.

The Prince of Wales has been such a significant support to The Almshouse Association and our members throughout the pandemic, and we were delighted that he took the occasion of the visit to Bond’s Hospital Almshouses to cut the cake celebrating 75 years of The Almshouse Association. The residents, volunteers and staff were so pleased and really enjoyed his company. It was such a boost for them, for us and the 1,600 almshouses in the country.”

_{His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales and Elizabeth Fathi, Chair of The Almshouse Association, share a joke as the cake, decorated with the charity’s logo, is cut to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the Association.}

In her speech, the Chair of The Almshouse Association, Elizabeth Fathi, said how proud the Association, the trustees and staff were to have the Royal Patronage, and how grateful they are that His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, is so supportive of the historic almshouse model. She said,

_{Head of Member Services, Rosie Sweeney made sure everyone got a slice of our 75th celebration cake}

“It is an honour to welcome His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, to help celebrate the 75^th anniversary of The Almshouse Association – a movement that began a thousand years ago: a thousand years of providing warm, friendly houses for local people. That shows it’s a model that works!”

Residents, staff and trustees all raised a glass to toast this special moment.

Some wonderful video footage of the day filmed by the Daily Mail online can be accessed here.

The Almshouse Association represents and supports a network of 1,600 independent almshouses across the UK that provide community housing for some 36,000 people in housing need.

Throughout 2021, The Almshouse Association will be celebrating both their 75th anniversary and the achievements of the almshouse movement which spans over a thousand years.

Photos: Richard Gray
Top photographs: 1st image: HRH talks with residents (l-r) Mrs Sheila Tognonato, Mr David Stanley and Mrs Olga Miller; 2nd image: HRH is presented to Nick Phillips CEO of The Almshouse Association and Liz Fathi Chair of The Almshouse Assocation; 3rd image HRH with Mrs Janet Blair-Wilson and Mrs Patsy Keogh.

Posted 1 June 21

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Policy & Governance update: June 21

Each month, the Association posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact / requires action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable. Please find below our June 21 Summary:

Housing

First Homes – The Government has announced its planned introduction of First Homes, homes which are discounted for purchase by a minimum of 30% for first time buyers. The Almshouse Association is concerned that priority will be given to the new model ahead of homes for social rent. This is the result of local authorities being told to prioritise securing 25% of their affordable homes allocation as First Homes from developer contributions before proceeding to consider alternative models of affordable housing. The Association believes that local authorities should be able to choose the most appropriate model of affordable housing for their local community whether this be social rent, or even supporting new almshouse developments.

Although the levels of new council/social housing has increased slightly in recent years, it would benefit the sector if the Government provided greater support for genuinely affordable homes for rent, rather than continuing to focus on home ownership which even with First Homes will be out of reach for many.

Support for renters continues with longer notice periods – The Government has announced that from 1 June, tenant notice periods that are currently 6 months will reduce to at least 4 months. Fourteen-days notice is required before an eviction can take place. Therefore, no evictions are expected to take place before mid-June except in the most serious circumstances, and bailiffs have been asked not to carry out an eviction if they have been made aware that anyone living in the property has COVID-19 symptoms or is self-isolating. Notice periods for the most serious cases that present the most strain on landlords will remain lower:
- anti-social behaviour (immediate to 4 weeks’ notice)
- domestic abuse in the social sector (2 to 4 weeks’ notice)
- false statement (2 to 4 weeks’ notice)
- over 4 months’ accumulated rent arrears (4 weeks’ notice)
- breach of immigration rules ‘Right to Rent’ (2 weeks’ notice)
- death of a tenant (2 months’ notice)
- notice periods for cases where there is four or more months’ of unpaid rent, will reduce to 2 months’ notice from 1 August. This is to support both landlords and tenants and responds to the greater difference between COVID and pre COVID notice periods for rent arrears.

As with previous guidance, there is not a legal requirement for almshouses to follow this guidance. It is, however, recommended that almshouses follow the guidance as good practice as we continue to deal with the pandemic

Charity Commission

Cyber security training package launched for charities and small businesses – The National Cyber Security Centre has published a free e-learning package to support small organisations, including charities. The training, Cyber Security for Small Organisations and Charities, guides businesses through the actions they should take in order to dramatically reduce the risk of the most common cyber-attacks, such as ransomware and phishing.

Trustee recruitment – Reach Volunteering has launched a website to help charities improve how they recruit trustees and increase their board’s diversity. The Trustee Recruitment Cycle includes guidance, templates, and insight from other charities, with an aim to make it easier to recruit more openly and inclusively. It was created by Reach Volunteering, alongside the Association of Chairs, Small Charities Coalition and Getting on Board. The Trustee Recruitment Cycle takes charities through the recruitment process in six stages and is designed so charities can dip into relevant sections, or work through the whole recruitment process from start to finish.

Adult Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care Consultation on making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes –
The Government is proposing to amend regulations to require older adult care home providers to deploy only those workers who have received their COVID-19 vaccination in line with government guidance. This will not include those who can provide evidence of a medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination. The Government also intends to amend the Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections to explain the requirement. They are consulting on this policy and whether it should be extended to include other professionals who visit the care home, for example NHS workers providing close personal care to people living in the care home. There are many other settings across adult social care and health, where people most at risk from COVID-19 are being cared for in high risk, closed settings.

The Government will keep this policy under review on a continuing basis and consider whether in due course it is necessary to extend the policy to other parts of the adult social care and health sectors. Members may wish to respond to this consultation, full details can be found here.

Coronavirus

Care homes residents allowed more out-of-home visits – DHSC has announced that care home residents will be able to have more named visitors and more opportunities to make visits out with no need to self-isolate when they return. As part of Step 3 of the Roadmap, the number of named family members or friends able to visit their loved ones in care homes will be increased from two to five. A maximum of two visitors will be allowed at any one time or on any given day.

You can find all our Coronavirus updates here

Wales

Notice Periods – Notice periods given to tenants from the 26 March 2020 to 23 July 2020 must be at least 3 months for all kinds of notice.

Notice periods given on or after 24 July 2020 to at least 30 June 2021 must be at least 6 months, other than for grounds relating to anti-social behaviour which remained at 3 months until 28 September 2020 but have subsequently returned to their pre-Coronavirus Act 2020 lengths of one month or less, depending on the type of tenancy and ground used.

Furthermore, subject to a periodic 3 week review, bailiffs are not allowed to enforce evictions until the end of 30 June 2021, except in cases relating to, illegal occupation, anti-social behaviour, eviction of perpetrators of domestic abuse in the social sector where the victim is housed elsewhere and where the property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant.

Government extends notice periods

Government extends requirement for longer notice periods until October 2021

The Government has extended the requirement to provide most tenants in England with four-month notice periods from June 1^st until September 31^st 2021. This comes as part of protections for renters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have announced that notice periods will return to pre-pandemic levels from October 2021.

The current ban on bailiff-enforced evictions, introduced as an emergency measure during lockdown, will end on 31 May. Bailiffs have been asked not to carry out an eviction if anyone living in the property has COVID-19 symptoms or is self-isolating.

Notice periods for the most serious cases that present the most strain on landlords will remain lower, i.e. in the following cases:

anti-social behaviour (immediate to 4 weeks’ notice)
domestic abuse in the social sector (2 to 4 weeks’ notice)
false statement (2 to 4 weeks’ notice)
over 4 months’ accumulated rent arrears (4 weeks’ notice)
breach of immigration rules ‘Right to Rent’ (2 weeks’ notice)
death of a tenant (2 months’ notice)

Notice periods for cases where there is four or more months’ of unpaid rent, will reduce to 2 months’ notice from 1 August.

Wales

Notice periods given to tenants from the 26 March 2020 to 23 July 2020 must be at least 3 months for all kinds of notice.

Full government guidance can be found here.

Posted 18 May 21

The Buchanan Trust: Four wonderful new almshouses!

The Almshouse Association is honoured to have received an invite to the opening event for The Buchanan Trust’s new almshouses, specially built for ex-military beneficiaries.

The Buchanan Trust is a charity that was set up in 1918 to support ex-military personnel, in memory of Alan Buchanan who fell in the First World War. Run by a diverse board of voluntary trustees, the Trust still continues to this day with its vital work in supporting veterans with their transition from military to civilian life.

Situated in Herefordshire near the village of Bosbury, the Trust owns The Bosbury Estate, a small rural estate that provides short to medium term residential accommodation for former service men and women and their families. It supports them to readjust after their time in the forces has come to an end. In addition to housing, the Trust also provides veterans with access to work experience, accredited training skills and employment opportunities in the rural and construction sectors. Working with like-minded businesses, other charitable and public sector organisations, the Buchanan Trust is proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and is resolute in supporting the Armed Forces Community.

Recent project – four new Veteran’s cottages

The Trust’s most recent project has been the building of four new one and two bedroom cottages for its ex-military beneficiaries. Some of these units are DDA accessible and able to cater for the beneficiaries’ families. The cottages will be ready to welcome a further four veterans on to the Trust’s country estate, where the houses are being developed in small courtyard clusters where the residents form a small community and can support each other in a safe and secure environment.

This project has been made possible through funding support from both Herefordshire County Council and Homes England, along with other charitable donations from The Hereford Cathedral Almshouse Charity and various businesses, local communities and the general public.

As a registered almshouse charity and members of The Almshouse Association, these cottages will be run as Almshouses, with our veteran beneficiaries of the charity paying a weekly maintenance charge for the upkeep of the properties.

The Trust wishes to acknowledge everyone who has supported this project which has continued despite the challenges of COVID-19, drawing specific thanks to our Principal Contractor, Lane Britton Jenkins who won the contract partly as a result of many of their sub-contractors, who are former service personnel, providing lower prices as they wished to support the project.

The ‘COVID safe’ event takes place on 21st May 2021 and they are delighted to have various local dignitaries in attendance, along with actor, author, presenter and investigative journalist – Ross Kemp.

Posted 13 May 21

CEO blog: May 21

Our pizzas are worth more than care for elderly people …. we all agree? Don’t we?

I think a home is a basic necessity, like water or care for the elderly, and I expect I am not alone in this. So why aren’t we fighting for it? We are normally really good at that aren’t we? It was not so long ago that we supported en masse Uber drivers, pizza delivery riders and sports shop workers because of their appalling pay and conditions.

This was going to be a long blog setting out the various shared elements of the two great frustrations where the same people often find themselves overlooked and/or undervalued. However, there just seems so little point. It is like pointing out that football players are paid more than nurses and much as we love to see a kick around we all know we definitely need one more than the other. This is of course, the stuff of three in the morning teenage debate. It is what it is – get over it!

When I read about the uproar from investment companies backing out of a well-known pizza delivery company because of their bad pay and conditions …. it brought me up sharp again, (Maybe it was three in the morning!) but people were taking notice! Bad pay and conditions for our pizza delivery riders – things must change, it’s not fair! Quite right! But I sigh inwardly when I talked to a close friend who was a carer who expressed how he was only paid for between 30 and 45 minutes work with clients and often has unpaid one hour drive between clients. He then needs to spend at least 75 minutes with some clients to help dress wounds, make a cup of tea or clean them. These were people not pizzas. He eventually had to stop being a carer as it was costing too much of his own student money to support the job.

What does this have to do with affordable housing? It is my view that good housing is linked to a reduced need for social care. We know loneliness and poor housing can lead to mental and even physical illness, depression and the need for medication. If we recognise that as a bare minimum people need a good quality, warm, safe home, a friend and neighbour we could reduce the cost to the health service.

We must start looking at integrating health, social care and housing, closely intertwined areas which all benefit each other. When all three elements work together effectively, the whole system can work better and provide significant cost savings through reduced attendance at A&E and reductions in loneliness and its associated consequences.

Small-scale charitable community homes, like almshouses, can save the health service a fortune and perhaps with that saving the Government could afford to pay our carers at least as much as the guy who brings us our pizza. Bon appetite!

Tackling problem debt – new government scheme

New Government Scheme introduced to tackle problem debt

The Government has introduced a new scheme called Breathing Space to help those experiencing problem debt.

The scheme will provide those experiencing problem debt with 60 days to get their finances back on track without the threat of further debt, letters or enforcement action. They will be supported with professional debt advice, with additional support and protection for those experiencing mental health crisis treatment.

The scheme is expected to support around 700,000 people who are struggling with this issue and may impact on the Set Aside process in almshouses. A Set Aside is likely to be paused while a resident makes use of the scheme, hopefully allowing a resident to get help with their finances so that they may begin to pay back any overdue Weekly Maintenance Contribution and get back to paying on time. The Almshouse Association would recommend that members look into the scheme and consider whether residents currently struggling to pay their WMC may benefit from making use of it.

Additional points to note:

Most debts will qualify for a breathing space, including credit and store cards; personal and payday loans; overdrafts; utility bills, rent and mortgages arrears; and government debts like tax and benefits.
Although interest and fees are frozen, a Breathing Space is not a payment holiday. People entering a Breathing Space will need to keep paying for any debts and ongoing liabilities they have – like their mortgage, rent and bills – whilst they work with a debt advisor to find a sustainable debt solution. If someone in a standard Breathing Space fails to comply with these obligations, then a debt adviser has the discretion to cancel their Breathing Space.

Posted 10 May 21

Almshouse charities smile for Captain Tom’s 100 challenge

Last month, we asked our members to join us with the national campaign as part of an initiative by The Captain Tom Foundation. Our contribution had the aim of raising awareness of our unique form of affordable social housing which has at its heart one of Captain Tom’s key legacies – combating loneliness.

To rise to the 100 Challenge, The Almshouse Association asked members throughout the UK to showcase their work by sharing a photo of trustees, staff and residents outside their almshouses with their biggest smiles!

We are delighted to report that we received a beautiful collection of smiles.

We even received smiles from contractors who are busy building the next generation of almshouses ! And photos are still coming in thick and fast

If you follow us on social media, you will have already seen the happy faces popping up on your phones, pcs and tablets and we will also be showcasing them on our website and in our Almshouses Gazette. Photos are still coming in and we will keep on posting them up for everyone to enjoy!

This huge effort has not only enabled us to celebrate the wonderful work our members do and how happy almshouse residents are across the country, but raised awareness of the almshouse movement as a whole.

An enormous ‘thank you and well done!’ to everyone who took part!

And more smiles! 🙂

CEO guest speaker at Charity Matters webinar

Almshouse Association CEO Nick Phillips will be joining Aberdeen Standard Capital Charity Matters virtual event on Wednesday 12 May 11.00 – 12.00. Also speaking will be legal expert Gordon Reid from Moore Barlow and Julie Hutchinson, Charities Specialist at Aberdeen Standard Capital.

During the session they will be looking at setting aside appointments and will also have a short investment update with market outlook. The webinar includes live Q&A with the panel.

If you would like to register for the webinar, please click here

Practical information
This event will be held on Zoom and you will have the opportunity to interact with our panellists directly. Full details on how to join will be shared with you in advance.

Important Information
Investment involves risk. The value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up and an investor may get back less than the amount invested. aberdeenstandardcapital.com