Association unveils 75th Anniversary plans

The Almshouse Association 75th Anniversary in 2021 – we want to celebrate your amazing work!

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YOUR CELEBRATION PACK

The Almshouse Association is so proud to represent you, our valuable members.

You work tirelessly to provide support for those in need in your local community and this is what makes almshouses so valuable. It is clear that the spirit of almshouse communities is helping to alleviate the isolation that is so prevalent in our society today. You offer a strong sense of community and warmth that make it possible for beneficiaries to continue to live independently, often near to families.

As you may already be aware, 2021 sees The Almshouse Association celebrating our 75^th Anniversary year. We intend to showcase almshouses and their fundamental importance in the local community. We will be campaigning hard in Government and have just launched a PR campaign to get our message across to the press about how wonderful you are.

We are planning our own garden party and would love you to join us by thinking about organising your own event, on site, or at a community location near to you? It would be fantastic for us all to join together and really make the most of this celebratory year to highlight your achievements.

Our Open Garden Month will be launched in the spring. Subject to Covid-19 restrictions, this might be a lovely time to welcome people to view your residents beautiful gardens or patios and flowerpot displays, to show how passionate residents are about their almshouses, and why they hold a special place in people’s hearts.

This 75^th Anniversary year will really allow us to capture the hearts of more local people to encourage further support for your charities and help spread the word about the key benefits of almshouses.

We have compiled a Celebration Pack that is full of useful hints and tips which will be available after the Christmas break.

To order your pack, please complete the order form by clicking here and return to us. The pack is full of ideas and supporting material that will help make your day easier to organise. And remember, we are on hand to offer any further advice and support, where we can!

Thank you for joining us throughout what will be a wonderful year for the Almshouse Movement! We are so excited to be celebrating with you!

Posted 26 October 2020

House of Lords: Almshouses take centre stage

The Almshouse Association was very pleased to see almshouses widely discussed in The House of Lords today (22 Oct 20).

The discussion was led by a question from Lord Kennedy of Southwark with a number of substantive questions following on a series of topics including: the exclusion of almshouses from Section 106 levies and the reduction of VAT on repairs to charitable buildings, such as almshouses.

What we are most proud of is the cross party support for almshouses and the almshouse movement. Lords from across the House and from Government acknowledge the vital work our members undertake and the vital service they provide to their communities.

We would like to extend our thanks to the Lords who raised questions and who have been in contact with The Almshouse Association in recent weeks.

Click here to watch the full discussion

Posted 22nd October 20

Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2020

Since March there has been an increase in cases of cybercrime and fraud among charities, with the Charity Commission receiving reports of 645 incident since March, amounting to £3.6m in total losses to charities.

Almshouse charities, regardless of size, are not immune and we are aware of at least one near miss that one of our members had recently.

The Charity Commission is therefore running a Charity Fraud Awareness Week from 19-23 October 2020. This awareness raising week, run in conjunction with the Fraud Advisory Panel, has been put together to boost charity resilience to fraud and cybercrime.

Charities can access a range of free resources from the charity fraud awareness hub. Here you’ll find mini-tutorials, on-demand webinars, videos and factsheets to help you with fraud awareness. The Charity Commission has also put together some helpful guidance on protecting your charity from fraud nd what to do if you do fall victim to it.

For more information about Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2020 with links to various resources, please their website here

Posted 20 October 2020

Association meets with David Rutley MP

Today (14 Oct 20), The Almshouse Association held a productive meeting with David Rutley MP for Macclesfield.

Discussions with Mr Rutley, who is also a Government Whip, included an overview of the four almshouses in his constituency, Section 106 Agreements and Selective Licensing.

We were pleased to hear some very positive comments on almshouses and what they provide to their communities. Discussions such as these are vital as we continue to raise issues which affect our members.

The Almshouse Association would like to thank Mr Rutley for his time and for his warm support of almshouses.

Posted 14 Oct 20

Board Meeting Key Decisions: 17 Sept 2020

After each Almshouse Association Board Meeting, the Key Decisions made at the most recent meeting are uploaded to the ‘Latest News’ pages on our website for all registered member charities to access.

At the virtual Board Meeting held on 17th September 2020, the following Key Decisions were made:

The decision was carried by the Board to release £20,000 from the Grant budget and for full flexibility to be granted to CEO for discretionary distribution to charities in immediate crisis up to £3,000 per case. The pilot will be reviewed after 6 months.
The Board voted and unanimously agreed to release a further £5,000 (above the strategic budget) to enable the data collection and value for money research to commence.
The Board unanimously agreed with the recommendation made by the F&GP to increase the Grants budget from £250,000 to £350.000.

A record of all Key Decisions made at Board Meetings (from June 18 onwards) can be found in here.

Posted 14 October 2020

Covid-19 update: 13.10.20

For the most up-to-date Government advice, please visit www.gov.uk.

The Government has announced a new three-tier system which will be rolled out across England later this week.

The three-tiers include: Medium, High and Very High risk depending on the cases of Coronavirus in the area. As a result, it is vital that members keep up to date on the specific restrictions in their locality.

At the very least, members can expect the ‘rule of six’ and other social distancing measures to continue as they have in recent weeks. However, members should be ready to react quickly to possible changes which will include restrictions on households mixing.

Medium Tier: Continuation of ‘rule of six’ and social distancing
High Tier: Reduce household mixing with no mixing indoors, rule of six applies outside
Very High Tier: No mixing indoor and out, shut pubs and bars

Further individual restrictions are likely to be introduced for each local area.

The Almshouse Association will provide further in-depth guidance as it is released. If you need specific guidance on the restrictions in your area, please contact your local authority or visit GOV.UK.

Posted 13 Oct 2020

Association CEO in Labour Housing newletter

A letter from Nick Phillips CEO of The Almhouse Association has been featured in the Labour Housing Group September 20 newsletter.

Nick Phillips CEO writes:

Almshouses are part of history but also very much part of a future housing solution.
Although almshouses will never be the complete answer to the housing crisis, trustees are ready to build and they represent a great opportunity to expand, based on a model of independent living and resident well-being that is genuinely affordable.
Over the last 1,000 years, almshouses have offered truly affordable homes to those in need. If ever there was a time for more it’s now.

To read the article in full on Page 7 of the newsletter, please click here

Posted 8 October 2020

Local Rector talks about almshouses and the test of time on the C of E website

Mark Bennet, Team Rector at Thatcham in Berkshire talks about his preconceptions of almshouses before he found himself as one of the trustees of Loundye’s and John Hunt’s Almshouses.

He begins:

Before I became a trustee of the Thatcham Parochial Almshouse Charity, the most I had known about almshouses was from Trollope’s “The Warden” as seen on TV and a vague sense that almshouses were an antiquated form of do-goodery providing congenial accommodation for distressed gentlefolk and retired clergy. I was to discover that such a view of Almshouses is a profound mistake.

When I became Rector of my parish, I found myself one of nine trustees of Loundye’s and John Hunt’s Almshouses and the quaintly named “Nine Shilling House”. I read the history of the Almshouses – the charity had once owned a field on which grazed a cow, whose milk was provided free to the Almshouse residents. It seemed that my prejudices were being confirmed.

And then I met the residents of our fourteen flats ……

This is a truly wonderful account from Mark and no doubt sums up exactly what many of us thought about almshouses before we ‘got involved’.

His visions for the future mirror those of the almshouse movement – we know that the almshouse model can play a much greater role in meeting the need for sustainable affordable housing in our generation and beyond; and as more and more almshouses are being built, it certainly looks like the vision is becoming a reality.

A downloadable version of the article can be found here or visit the Church of England website here

Posted 7 October 2020

Almshouses officially recognised as unique housing model

The official definition of an almshouse has been recognised by the Charity Commission which has just released its new, approved guidance on almshouses.

After months of hard work, this is a major milestone for The Almshouse Association – the membership charity representing over 1,600 independent almshouse charities – which has long persevered for credible recognition of almshouses as an affordable housing provider.

For the last 1,000 years, almshouses have existed as an affordable social housing model but there has been no clear definition of an almshouse by a government department.

Today, as the Almshouse Association prepares to celebrate its 75^th anniversary of supporting the almshouse movement, this community-led housing model now has the seal of official approval.

Says Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association,

We are growing at the fastest rate since the Victorian era, with a thousand new homes having been created in the last ten years and some 36,000 residents enjoying affordable living in 30,000 properties around the UK. Another 700 are being built or are in the pipeline.
We are delighted with this timely affirmation by the Charity Commission of our individual and long-established form of housing which is every bit as relevant today.”

Click here for official definition of an almshouse

Posted 6 Oct 20

Policy & Governance update: September 20

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 September 2020 Summary.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Government Announces Funding For The Affordable Homes Programme – The Government announced £12 billion in funding for the Affordable Housing Programme for 2021-2026.

The aim of this fund is to provide 180,000 homes around the country. The Almshouse Association welcomes this funding, which has previously been used to support almshouse charities to grow and develop. We hope to see many more examples of this fund being used to support our members. Further guidance on the specifics of the fund will be published shortly.

After discussions over recent months, The Almshouse Association is particularly pleased to see almshouses specifically mentioned in the Government’s announcement, reiterating the exemption from Right to Buy which almshouses benefit from.

The full Government announcement can be found here.

Flood Grant Extension – The Government has announced an extension of the £5,000 grant scheme available to homes and businesses affected by flooding in the last year. The Property Flood Resilience (PFR) scheme will be extended by nine months to take into account delays to repair work and the additional pressures placed on local authorities by coronavirus.

The new deadline for applications from communities flooded in November 2019 is now 31 December 2021, while those flooded in February 2020 have until 1 July 2022.

The full announcement can be found here.

Coronavirus

Self-Isolation Payment – The Government has announced that people are now required by law to self-isolate when they develop, or come into contact with someone who develops, Coronavirus symptoms. To help those on lower incomes who cannot work from home and have lost income as a result, there is now support through a £500 payment. The payment can be paid to those who are in receipt of benefits in England, and should be arranged through your local authority.

The full announcement can be found here.

Rules On Holding AGMs And Other Meetings – The Government has announced that charitable companies and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) can continue to hold AGMs and other member meetings virtually until 30th December 2020.

Wherever possible it is still hoped that members will be able to submit their annual returns online. However, if Trustees have an imminent deadline and believe they are likely to miss it you should send an email to filingextension@charitycommission.gov.uk with your charity name and registration number.

Note: temporary laws allowing charitable companies and CIOs to postpone AGMs and other members’ meetings end on 30 September. The Charity Commission advises that these charities can use the advice above.

Full guidance can be found here.

Charity Commission

Charity Commission Publishes Almshouse Definition – The Almshouse Association is enormously pleased to be able to confirm to our members that The Charity Commission has now publicly recognised our official definition of an almshouse and has added the definition to their Operation Guidance.

After over 2 years of meetings and deliberations, members feedback and rewrites, we consider this a major milestone as we look to grow and develop the almshouse movement. The definition now gives us greater authority to show the unique nature of almshouses, whilst being able to reference official recognition from a government body.
It is important to receive this confirmation as we move forward with our discussions with local and national government, ensuring that our members are not hindered in their efforts to support their charities.

The full document on almshouses on the Charity Commission website can be found here. (scroll down the index to almshouses)

Posted 5 October 2020