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

Almshouses: an architect’s view

The word almshouse has two etymological roots: alms comes from the ancient Greek word for compassion; whilst house derives from the Anglian term meaning dwelling or shelter.

Over nearly 1,000 years, almshouses have provided compassionate shelter to many people, but their benefits extend beyond this simple, charitable function because of their unique circumstances as locally constituted organisations with a common purpose of supporting people’s wellbeing. The role of housing in health and wellbeing has always been important, but never more so than during the pandemic. Almshouses have demonstrated the value of local community support as a crucial alternative to the larger providers of supported housing.

In my architecture practice’s work with almshouse charities, we have found that the relationship between each trustee, the residents, and the homes they inhabit to be unique and special, providing a foundation for wellbeing through closely-knit networks. These provide preventative health benefits that keep people socially and physically engaged much longer in life, often focused in and around shared gardens. In designing new homes for these organisations, our aim has been to capture this essence so that almshouses can continue to provide for their residents’ health and wellbeing for the next 1,000 years.

The Almshouse Association provides a crucial means for the great number of almshouse charities across the country to act as a network, learning from each other and representing themselves nationally, without losing their uniquely localised natures.

We look forward to the next chapters in the history of the almshouse.

Roland Karthaus is an architect, researcher and lecturer and is founding director of Matter Architecture. The practice focuses on designing buildings and places that are sensitive to context, enduring and sustainable to improve people’s happiness and wellbeing in the long term. https://matterarchitecture.uk

Feature image supplied by Roland Karthaus : How can housing be designed for greater social benefit – photo of walkway

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!

Anniversary Network Event

We had an amazing member networking event on Tuesday 11^th May, with over 40 members attending and talking about their party plans to help us celebrate our 75^th anniversary year!

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to join us to chat about the fabulous parties that are being planned and already being organised for this summer!

We had some really interesting questions come up during the session and have highlighted these below for reference:

GDPR – Some members were concerned about GDPR issues with residents and members of the public getting involved with their events. There is a photo-release form in the celebration pack that should be signed by anyone attending and also residents before any photos/videos are taken of them and used in any promotional material, or online on websites or social media. There is also a poster that can be printed out and put up for public display too.

Crime Prevention – Some members had concerns about crime occurring on their site during a public event being held at an almshouse. The suggestion was that several trustees could be situated near vulnerable areas and signs made with ‘private – no access’. Within the risk assessments undertaken, these suggestions for prevention need to be included. Also, having a checklist of attendees with email addresses and/or full addresses so people have to provide names and contact details at the entrance to the event may help. Curtains and blinds can be drawn and private doors locked before the event.

Covid restrictions. – A question was asked about Covid restrictions if a public hall was being hired with regards to cleaning before and after the event. It was recommended that we might have to wait until after the 21^st June before we could make any recommendations on what requirements will be needed but a suggestion was made to contact the local council to ask for feedback on health and safety. It is also recommended that the Hints and Tips flyer could help with details of the government health & safety website.

Residents – some members have encountered some opposition from residents to holding a garden celebration which highlights the work of the charity to the wider public. It was suggested that charities speak to their residents to discuss what the charity is trying to achieve and to look at ways residents can get involved in the organisation of the event (e.g. making bunting/ writing out invitations etc.). Where a resident doesn’t want to be involved, suggest that they may wish to go out for a few hours on that particular day and/or close their curtains.

What type of event to have? Some members were deliberating between having a resident only and a joint event. It was suggested that this needs to be decided by the trustees and residents to ensure everyone is happy with the option put forward. If the local mayor or MP is invited to help raise the profile, an option could be to invite them to cut a ribbon to open the event and then the residents can have their party after the dignitary departs. This ensures that focus is only on the dignitary for the first hour or half an hour as dignitaries usually don’t stay at events due to their busy schedules.

Joint events. These were discussed and there was some positive feedback on smaller almshouses getting together.

We will share details for our next networking event as soon as they are finalised. In the meantime, if you have any questions or ideas you would like to dicuss, please do email gerryharmon@almshouses.org

Covid-19 update: 12.05.21

The Government has announced that from 17 May 2021, England will move to step 3 of its roadmap out of lockdown.

This will mean a further relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions that have been in place up until now.

The main changes likely to affect almshouses are:

Up to 6 people or two households will now be able to meet indoors. Where people meet indoors, they should be encouraged to open a window. Meeting outside where possible is still a safer option
Up to 30 people will be able to meet outdoors
Hotels, B&Bs and hostels will now be able to open. Charities with guest rooms will now be able to open these should they wish. This is not obligatory however, and you should carry out a risk assessment first
Indoor hospitality, such as bars and restaurants, can reopen
Other indoor leisure and entertainment facilities will be allowed to open
Travel within Britain and overnight stays will be allowed

The government has also advised that people will be able to make their own personal decision about close contact with friends and family. This means that your residents would be allowed to hug and sit next to a member of their family or friends should they wish to do so. Residents and their guests should be reminded about the risks associated with close contact however. Social distancing rules should be followed in all other contexts.

The rules around international travel will also be relaxed from 17 May. The government has announced a list of green countries which do not require the traveller to quarantine upon their return to England. They will instead be required to have a Covid test prior to returning home and another test upon their arrival home. Those arriving from ‘amber’ countries will be required to quarantine at home for 10 days and take two Covid tests. Those arriving from red list countries will be required to quarantine at a hotel for 10 days at their own expense. A list of green, amber and red countries and the rules for quarantining can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england. Any residents or staff who travel overseas in the coming months should be reminded of these restrictions.

For larger charities with care facilities, the restrictions on care staff working at one location only remain in place and there isn’t a timescale yet for when these restrictions will be eased.

Wales update

Wales remains at alert level three. From 3 May, the following is allowed:

Gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools and fitness facilities can open.
Extended households can be formed with one other household.
Indoor supervised activities for children can take place.
Indoor organised activities for up to 15 adults can take place.
Community centres can open.

Detailed guidance on restrictions in Wales can be found at https://gov.wales/alert-level-3.

Posted 12 May 21

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

Perry Almshouses celebrate 170th anniversary!

The residents and trustees of the Perry Almshouses in Winterbourne on the outskirts of Bristol are extremely excited to be celebrating the 170th Anniversary of their beautiful, Grade II listed almshouses as well as the 75th Anniversary of The Almshouse Association this year.

Built and conveyed in 1851 by a local benefactress, Mary Anne Jones, the Perry Almshouses have housed those in need within the Ancient Parish of Winterbourne for 170 years. The almshouses were named by Mary out of respect for her grandfather – the local Squire, William Perry.

A celebratory garden party is being held later this year when a tree will be planted to commemorate this very special occasion.

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! 🙂