Merry Christmas from all the team

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas break and thank you for all your dedication and hard work in supporting almshouses, your residents and the almshouse movement throughout the year.

As we all look forward to 2024, we hope that it is a happy and special year for everyone.

Our office opening times over the Christmas break are as per the below:

Friday 22 December
Normal office hours

Saturday 23 December to Monday 1st January
OFFICE CLOSED

Tuesday 2 January
OFFICE REOPENS

and
normal Monday to Friday opening times resume

posted 19 December 2023

Almshouses making history at Beamish

Press release by Durham Aged Miners Homes Association (DAMHA)

Millions of people will now get to see our aged miners’ homes which have been faithfully replicated at the North-East’s most visited tourist attraction.

And before they were opened to the public on 6^th October 2023, residents who live in the original homes were treated to a VIP sneak preview.

Our Marsden Road aged miners’ homes in South Shields were selected by Beamish Museum to feature in its new 1950s town.

Two of the four homes which have been replicated show Beamish visitors what life was like for retired miners in the 1950s. The other half of the terrace provides a space for the award-winning work of Beamish’s Health and Wellbeing Team.

DAMHA has been working with closely with Beamish on ensuring our homes are recreated as faithfully as possible in the town, and we left final judgement on this to residents from the original Marsden Road cottages who were given a private tour of the properties on 2^nd October. They were also joined by people from our Bulmer House and Rutherford House sheltered housing schemes.

Measurements were taken of Carol Davidson’s home when Beamish choose the cottages to be in the 1950s town almost ten years ago.

After visiting the replica homes, she said: “I can’t believe how alike they are from the outside and when I looked inside, the way they have been so accurately furnished and decorated brought back many happy memories of when I used to visit my aunt’s home in the late 1950s.”

Another resident, Betty Sparks, said: “The attention to detail in the homes is incredible; it was lovely to get the chance to see them.”

DAMHA Chief Executive Paul Mullis said: “We are delighted to have been involved in this amazing project which has seen our aged miners’ homes in Marsden Road being so faithfully replicated in the new 1950s town.
Our residents at Marsden Road were fully involved from the initial inception and they, like everyone at DAMHA, agree on how sympathetically they have been recreated both inside and out.
We would like to thank Beamish Museum for enabling us to be part of this project and for their work in ensuring our historic aged miners’ homes will been seen by many more people now and in the future.”

Earlier in 2023, the ‘Living Museum of the North – which attracts over 700,000 visitors each year – opened its 1950s terrace as part of the Remaking Beamish project. The terrace features John’s Café, Elizabeth’s Hairdresser’s, Middleton’s Quality Fish and Chips, and a recreation of the 1950s home of North-East artist Norman Cornish. In May, Coronation Park and Recreation Ground opened in the town and in October, along with the aged miners’ homes, police houses, semi-detached houses and a bowling green and pavilion were also unveiled. A cinema, toy shop, and electrical shop will complete the town.

posted 7 December 2023

Chimneys restored to former glory

Almshouse Association loan Case Study: Hugh Boscawen Charity chimney renovations
By Colin Brown, Clerk

The Almshouses, or the “gallery” as it is locally known, was built in 1696 to house “10 indigent housekeepers” of Tregony. In 1875 it was declared that the almshouses had become so dilapidated that plans were drawn up by Silvanus Trevail and in 1895 the building was renovated.

Fast forward to current times and the trustees had to face the challenge of replacing the roof and managing the deterioration of the chimneys. To this end they appointed Scott and Company (Cornwall Ltd) in late 2018 to apply for planning permission to carry out works to this prominent grade II * listed building and to investigate possible grant funding.

On receiving planning permission in late 2019 the trustees accepted the recommendation of Rothwell Historical Restoration Limited to complete the renovations of the chimneys and Wheeler Roofing Services to strip and replace the roof.

The delay in commencing the works due to the pandemic, led to rising costs, meaning the project cost had risen by some 20% to £101,164. But the work was important to preserve the longevity of the building.

The application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund was rejected as we did not meet their criteria but our submission to The Almshouse Association for a £30,000 loan was accepted, for which we are thankful. If this had not been the case the works would have needed to be spread over a further year. The Almshouse Association loan covered the cost of the chimney restoration and we used funds from our Extraordinary Repair Fund, together with capital in our business bank account for the roof which gave the Trustees confidence they could complete the project.

Although living with scaffolding for over two years was difficult, the residents have felt that the appearance of the building has been greatly enhanced and our village community has been impressed with the result.

With some exterior works still to be completed the spring will be an ideal time to invite the public and hopefully raise some money towards the ongoing upkeep.

We would advise any other almshouse charities to meet their contractors and their employees. This, without doubt, makes life easier dealing with them on a first names basis and it certainly helps to resolve any problems should they arise.

Many thanks to the Hugh Boscowan Charity for sharing their Almshouse Association Loan Case Study with us all.

If you have an almshouse story you would like to share, how living in an almshouse has changed a resident’s life, how a grant or loan has ensured residents keep safe and warm, how a trustee is making a difference to the charity,.. please do get in touch via karenmorris@almshouses.org

posted December 2023

Regional Meetings

Paving the way for the next generation of Regional Meetings

We are delighted to announce a new, streamlined process that empowers members to independently host a Regional Meeting. Through this innovative initiative, our primary goal is to help support increased collaboration and engagement among our members.

We believe that restructuring our Regional Meetings will enable more of our members to facilitate informal gatherings, fostering mutual support as well as nurturing the strong sense of community that characterises the almshouse movement.

What’s New?

We have developed a user-friendly template to make hosting regional meetings easy. Whether you’re a seasoned event organiser or new to this role, this resource will be invaluable in planning and executing a successful meeting.

Support

If you encounter any challenges or have questions along the way, we are here to support you. Send us the date and timings for your meeting in our email invitation template along with information on your guest speaker and we will email members your invitation.

Getting Started

Read our checklist before organising a meeting to ensure you have the facilities to be able to support an event. Using our template invitation, you can then decide on a date and timings and source a guest speaker/s.

Once we have received these details, we can then organise for the invite to go out and will include your contact details so they can connect with you directly.

Share your success

We’d love to hear about your experiences and success stories with this new process. If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement, please don’t hesitate to reach out to gerryharmon@almshouses.org. Your input will help us continue to enhance this initiative for almshouse members.

We look forward to seeing the continued positive impact of these regional meetings and the collaboration they will foster among our members.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE USER-FRIENDLY TEMPLATES

Please do get in touch with Member Services if you need more information at admin@almshouses.org.

posted 7 December 2023

P&G update: 30.11.23

Policy and Governance update – Autumn Statement, Decarbonisation fund, Pension Credit, Social Housing Act, Pets in Almshouses

Latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact and/or may require action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable:

Autumn Statement

The Government’s announcement in the Autumn Statement to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance has been welcomed in the housing sector together with the decisions to uplift benefits payments in line with 6.7% inflation and state pension by 8.5%.

The Government is looking at updating Work Capability Assessments as part of wider efforts to help more disabled people and those with heath conditions into work, together with long term unemployed.

Visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/employment-support-launched-for-over-a-million-people

Decarbonisation Fund

Wave 2.2. of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund opened on 20 November with a deadline of 19 January 2024, with £80m of additional funding, for match funding delivery through to 31 March 2026. Whilst applications with fewer than 100 eligible social housing properties can be considered, the preference is for applications for at least 100 homes, a number which could be reached via a consortium from eligible applicants including registered charities that own social housing. Visit: https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/schemes/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-wave-22

This builds on the £778m in Wave 2.1., but the Government did not choose to release the full £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which seems a missed opportunity both in terms of financial and energy savings, and we hope this will be rectified in the Spring Budget – which is likely to be the last major financial change before the next General Election.

The announcement of an additional £3bn for the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme, which can be accessed to finance works to improve the quality of existing homes as well as for new much needed affordable housing, has been welcomed by the National Housing Federation, as this measure is aimed at Housing Associations with registered providers being offered loans of up to 30 years to build affordable housing.

A further £450m had been announced for a future Round 3 of the Local Authority Housing Fund, which whilst most commonly used by Local Authorities to build homes, does provide scope to work with other housing bodies. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-fund

Countdown to Deadline Day: Claim Pension Credit by 10 December and score extra £300

Those who apply before the deadline could qualify for an extra £300 Cost of Living boost thanks to Pension Credit backdating rules. The average Pension Credit award is worth over £3,900 per year and it opens doors to other support, including help with housing costs, council tax and heating bills.

Visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/countdown-to-deadline-day-claim-pension-credit-by-10-december-and-score-extra-300

Social Housing Act 2023

Members will likely have seen that the Social Housing Act includes Consumer Standards. The Association has been working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to amend this aspect of the Bill through its progress in Parliament and has gained a small but important phrase in the Act. The phrase provides confirmation that the Consumer Standards will only apply to Registered Housing Providers (RHPs) and whilst this is helpful it is only half the battle. We are now working with The Charity Commission and DLUHC to seek exemption from a number of aspects of the Act as it stands:

Mutual Exchange – clearly unlikely to work for our members as their Scheme dictates the characteristics of the resident.
Resident Management – whilst we are sure you are regularly consulting and engaging with residents it is only trustees who can make the decisions on the management of the almshouse charity.
Tenancy Standards – clearly not been designed around Licence to Occupy and will need some unpicking.
Qualification – we are making a case for exemption for almshouse charities as we believe that asking trustees to complete a qualification on top of their existing commitment is not reasonable.

We realise that the aspect requiring RHPs to be responsible for anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods is likely to be placing an unreasonable burden on members but the measures are based on reasonableness so hopefully that will be sufficient.

Pets in Almshouses

The Association is also watching the Renters Reform Bill as this also carries obligations that you may not be able to meet, although the wording in the Bill is changing to show “reasonable” steps. The only area where you will need to amend your policy is on allowing pets with the default position being to allow unless you have a strong reason not to. If you do not currently allow pets you may need to review the reasons for not allowing pets and add to your policy.

posted 30 November 2023

CPRE Report on Rural Affordable Housing in England

The Almshouse Association welcomes CPRE report on Rural Affordable Housing in England

CPRE has published an important report on rural affordable housing in England “Unravelling a crisis: The state of rural affordable housing in England”, stating that homelessness in the countryside has surged by 40% in just five years.

The report has a number of findings and recommendations which The Almshouse Association welcomes and notes may also apply to urban areas, e.g. the impact of short term lets on local housing markets, supporting small scale community developments and why ‘affordable rent’ is not always the best measure of affordability for housing.

The full report can be accessed via a link. The CPRE along with The Almshouse Association are part of the “Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition” which is looking for people with either lived experiences of rural homelessness or community representatives supporting people facing rural homelessness, to help spread the word as case studies.

If you are interested, please contact our Policy and Engagement Office, Charles Fifield via charlesfifield@almshouses.org .

29 November 2023

Bed bugs

Since the surge of infestations in Paris, concerns of bed bugs have been on the rise. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to stop them being introduced to your home as well as methods to keep the numbers contained should they find their way in.

Note that, in the case of the latter, it can be difficult to get rid of bed bugs yourself and you should you discover them in a resident’s almshouse, you should contact your local council or pest control service.

Preventative measures

1. Mattress cover: But bear in mind that bed bugs can live in all sorts of spaces around your bed, not just your mattress. They can be found in cracks in the walls, in the joints of your furniture and around the carpet’s edge, so more preventive measures are a good idea.

2. Reduce clutter: If your bedroom is full of clutter, you’re providing more places for bugs to hide. Bed bugs prefer to stay out of sight while we’re active, so if there’s boxes or clothes permanently strewn across the floor, you’re supplying additional shelter as well as spaces to lay eggs. Even if your room doesn’t appear obviously cluttered, always check under your bed. If you’ve got cardboard boxes stored here, you’re giving the bed bugs a prime position to hide close to where you sleep.

3. Vacuum, steam and wash: A clean house is just as likely to suffer from a bed bug infestation as a dirty one, but certain chores will reduce their numbers. For instance, regularly vacuuming your floors, furniture and mattress will pick up rogue bed bugs. This won’t kill them though, so you need to empty the canister between each run, carefully, into a sealed plastic bag in the outside bin.

Heat is a well-known method for killing bed bugs, and so a steam cleaner can be a handy investment that can be used on carpets and upholstery around the home, killing any immediate bed bugs in your path. The temperature needs to reach 130°F with a gentle air flow — otherwise you will just blow the bed bugs away.

Washing your bed linens, the bedding itself (pillows included) and any other fabrics on the highest temperature allowed in your washing machines can also kill bed bugs. The wash temperature needs to be at least 140°F for 90 minutes to be effective, followed by drying on the highest temperature allowed for 30 minutes. Keep any infested items sealed in plastic bags until you’re ready to wash them. If the items can’t tolerate a hot wash, steaming them is another option.

4. Take care with textiles: If you know you’ve got bed bugs in your home, you’re going to want to limit their spreading as much as possible while you work on eliminating them. There are several ways bed bugs can travel, but they tend to cling to inanimate fabrics, which is why our suitcases are often hotspots. They won’t usually hang onto the clothes you’re physically wearing because the movement is too aggressive and they’re not a fan of such intense heat. But any inanimate fabrics or those you carry alongside are certainly at risk.

6. Be vigilant when you travel: It’s all too common to bring bed bugs home with you when you travel, so it’s a worth knowing what to look for when you check into a hotel room. There are several signs of bed bugs including eggshells, shed skins, ink-like spots of faeces and, of course, the bugs themselves. A musty smell may also be present. Inspect the mattress thoroughly, checking cracks, crevices and seams. Check around the headboard as well as any surrounding fabrics too, such as cushions and curtains. Wash all your clothes when you return from holiday.

7. Seal any cracks and gaps in your walls: If you share a wall with neighbours, bed bugs may well be able to travel between the properties too. This is because they can fit through tiny cracks and gaps and come out the other side, making their way in through light switches as well as power outlets. With this in mind, you may wish to consider caulking and sealing any unnecessary cracks in the walls.

Make sure you don’t bring the bed bugs in with you if you share a communal space too, such as a hallway. Don’t leave items on the floor, and check your shoes and clothes as you enter.

posted November 2023

Wyggestons host Regional Meeting at flagship almshouses

Chairman of The Almshouse Association, Willie Hartley Russell MVO DL, joined Nick Phillips CEO, at the East Midlands Almshouses Regional Meeting to present the national almshouses picture and underpin the great opportunities for raising the profile of the movement by member charities – both as independent individual charities and by us all – working together as a movement.

There was also a detailed discussion about the challenges of defining independent living. The event concluded with a tour of the new almshouses which display the best of the old and new in almshouse architecture. Bright, adaptable, warm and secure – a flagship model.

Many thanks to Chris Jones CEO, Wyggestons for hosting the event.

LURA 2023 – Levelling Up and Regeneration Act

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. There are a number of key elements within it that will be of particular importance to almshouse charities:

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), will be retained by Greater London and Wales, but replaced in the rest of England by a new Infrastructure Levy (IL) system, which will be non-negotiable and set locally. It will also eventually replace s.106 contributions.
Local Authorities must provide an exemption for Charities from IL using property for a charitable purpose, full details are within Schedule 12, Part 1.
CIL/IL itself can be used for a wider range of “infrastructure” including “affordable housing” which is defined as:
- (a) social housing within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and
- (b) any other description of housing that CIL / Infrastructure Levy regulations may specify.
  
  This is a very important clause, as it could allow almshouses as community housing to be considered as “affordable housing” for the purposes of receiving funding from CIL / Infrastructure Levy.

Another potential source of funding will be from Community Land Auctions (CLA), where the receipts can be put towards infrastructure on a similar basis to CIL / Infrastructure Levy with “affordable housing” again defined as

(a) social housing within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and
(b) any other description of housing that CLA regulations may specify.

The Almshouse Association has been lobbying hard for almshouses to be included within the definition of “affordable housing” within the regulations which will follow LURA in due course. For those members who are Registered Housing Providers, the National Housing Federation has produced a useful summary of LURA at: www.housing.org.uk/news-and-blogs/news/levelling-up-and-regeneration-bill-receives-royal-assent/

There are a wide range of other matters, such as planning and regeneration within LURA and also a section to do with Heritage which updates the Listed Buildings Act.

The full text of LURA 2023 can be found here: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/55/enacted

Part 4 – Infrastructure Levey and Community Infrastructure Levy (pages 164-166)
Schedule 12 – Infrastructure Levey – Part 1 England – Part 2 Consequential amendments (pages 440-469).

posted 9 November 2023

Ashtead United Charities

Accommodation:

First Floor one bed flat in Fielding House. Bedsit style Unfurnished, open plan living & Kitchen. Good size Bathroom. Convenient location facing Ashtead High Street in the heart of the community. Out of hours emergency alarm. Communal Garden space.

Criteria:

Female, Single occupancy Age 55 + Preference for local connection or occupant is working in the area.

Contact Details:

Clerk : Cllr Mary Cooper

01372273489

Mary.p.cooper@btinternet.com