Family holiday breaks

Holiday breaks are an exciting time for young children, but it can be a challenging time for parents who can’t afford to send their kids to clubs for 6 weeks. There are however plenty of fun and budget-friendly activities that your kids can do during their break. Here are some ideas to keep your little ones occupied and entertained without breaking the bank.:

There are plenty of activities that your kids can do during the school break without spending a lot of money. Encourage your kids to explore their creativity, learn new skills, and spend quality time with family and friends. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can make this summer break a memorable one for your kids and yourself.

A Resident’s story – Rent arrears

Many individuals and families are struggling with rent arrears and financial difficulties, especially in the current economic climate. Take the case of a single mother of a child with special needs, who was barely making ends meet on basic Universal Credit, with less than £500 per month to live on after rent.

Her debts were mounting and she had accumulated rent arrears, struggling to top up her gas and electric meters. She was relying on food banks, and she was suffering from a low mood and anxiety, which affected her ability to increase her earnings through work. We worked together for 5 months. During this time, we successfully applied for a Disability Living Allowance for children for her son, Personal Independence Payment for herself and the sickness component of Universal Credit. We cleared her utility debt with £250 worth of vouchers and applied for 50% off her water bills and a Discretionary Housing Payment to clear the rent arrears.   

Six months later, her income has increased to over £1600 per month after rent. She is managing her bills and has not incurred any further rent arrears. She now feels in the right ‘head space’ to start counselling with a view to returning to work as a beauty therapist. 

This is one example of how we have helped residents in times of need. If you face similar challenges, don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 0800 054 6710 or emailing customers@ccha.biz. One of our team members will connect you with Jane, our Welfare, Benefit & Debt Officer. 

Make sure you have your say!

As you may know, there are upcoming May elections and the next General Election. To vote in these elections, you now need a Photo ID. Don’t let a lack of photo ID stop you from having a voice in who runs our country. Make sure your vote counts!

To vote, you’ll need one of the following types of photo ID:

In addition, you can also use one of the following travel passes as a photo ID when you vote:

Please note that the photo on your ID must look like you, and you can still use your ID even if it has expired. Also, the name on your ID must match your name on the electoral register. If it does not, you’ll need to either register to vote again with your new details or take a document with you to vote that proves you’ve changed your name (for example, a marriage certificate).

If you don’t have a photo ID, don’t worry! You can apply for a free ID. To get a Voter Authority Certificate for the 2 May 2024 elections, you’ll need to apply by 5pm on 24 April 2024. It’s free to apply, and you’ll just need a recent, digital photo of yourself. 

If you need more information or support, please feel free to get in touch with Welfare Benefit & Debt Officer Jane on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing JaneW@ccha.biz.

Remember, your voice matters, so don’t let a lack of photo ID stop you from voting!

We know getting a hold of us during busy times can be frustrating so we’ve had a look at when this might be so you can pick when best works for you.  

Our Customer Service Advisors are on hand to answer your calls, direct you to the right member of staff or help deal with your query. We can receive between 25 and 120 calls per day so you can imagine we can get quite busy! 

In March, we received the most calls on Monday, with 12pm to 1pm being busier throughout the week. So, if you call then, you may have to wait a little bit. As the afternoon goes on, we get quieter, so you’ll likely get through a bit quicker.  

ccha volume of calls by the hour:

A visual graph that shows what time we are busy with phone calls. Around lunch time, it's the busiest time to reach. Between 4pm to 5pm, it's less busy than usual.

A visual graph that shows what time we are busy with phone calls. Around lunch time, it’s the busiest time to reach. Between 4pm to 5pm, it’s less busy than usual.

ccha volume of calls by the day:

A visual graph that shows what days we are busy with phones. Mondays being the busiest time, and Friday's less busy.

A visual graph that shows what days we are busy with phones. Mondays being the busiest time, and Friday’s less busy.

If we miss your call, we will try and call you back. We know that you may be calling with an emergency, so calling at another time won’t be ideal. In this case, you are welcome to wait on the line until we can take your call. If your query isn’t urgent, you could try to call us again later when we usually receive less calls.

A Resident’s story

It can be challenging to manage money when the unexpected happens, whether due to the cost of living, loss of work, someone passing away or if your health declines. But you aren’t alone. Our Income Team is here to help.

Today, we talked about a resident with significant health problems whom we helped.

Health problems

A single resident with longstanding mental and physical health problems, who is in and out of work and surviving only on Disability Benefits and a small amount of Occupational Sick Pay, had accrued multiple debts and was receiving daily phone calls and letters from Bailiffs.

Following significant periods of sickness over the last 2 years, rent arrears had risen to over £6000, and the resident was no longer entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. The resident was also struggling to put their heating on, which was further impacting their health both physically and psychologically. The benefits for disabilities were also stopped, which made it harder for our residents.

How could we help?

With a sense of urgency, we provided the residents with an emergency fund for food and fuel, ensuring they could replenish their utility meters and purchase groceries on the very same day. Additionally, we expedited the setup of a Universal Credit (UC) claim to assist with rent and day-to-day living expenses, and facilitated an Advance Payment to cover the resident for the initial 5 weeks.

Our appeal against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision to halt disability benefits was not only successful but also resulted in a significant amount of back-dated money. The financial boost allowed the residents to clear a portion of their rent arrears. The Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) agreed to eliminate the remaining arrears, effectively reducing the debt to zero.

Furthermore, it was important to support the resident in accessing Talking Therapies.
Our collaboration with a National Debt Charity was essential in setting up an affordable repayment plan with all but one of the debtors. This comprehensive plan has not only put an end to all the unwanted calls, letters, emails, and texts, but also established a separate payment for council tax arrears, ensuring a more manageable financial situation for our residents.

Finally, we referred our residents to the council’s Occupational Therapy department for adaptations, including a wet room, to make life at home more accessible.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, feel free to contact our Welfare Benefit & Debt Officer Jane on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing JaneW@ccha.co.uk.

 

The Housing Ombudsman is inviting our residents to apply to join its Resident Panel and contribute to its work to improve residents’ lives through ccha’s services.

As a panel member, you will be invited to share experiences and suggest improvements through regular meetings and virtual discussions with the Ombudsman.

You will also be asked for consultation feedback through surveys, placing residents at the centre of everything the Ombudsman does. You will learn more about the role of the Ombudsman and how you can tell your local communities about the work.

It is an exciting opportunity for all our residents to be part of the Ombudsman’s vision to embed a positive complaint-handling culture across the sector and ensure your views are heard.

The Ombudsman is looking to recruit a panel representative of the diverse demographic of residents living in social housing across England. You do not need experience as a scrutiny panel member, have made a complaint to us or have used the Ombudsman before to apply. The panel will comprise residents living in all types of housing.

Applications are open now and will close on 30 April 2024. Just be mindful that the Ombudsman may close applications early if they receive an exceptionally high level of interest.

To apply, access their website to start your application. Alternatively, feel free to find out more about it on their website.

In case you have further enquiries about the residents panel, get in touch with us on 0800 054 6710 or customers@ccha.biz

Every year, millions of pounds go unclaimed in Married Tax Allowance. Could you be entitled to backdated money?

If you are married or in a civil partnership and one of you does not earn enough to pay tax, is on benefits, studying, or is unwell, and the other earns less than £51,000 per year, you could be entitled to some of the money back. You won’t be penalised if you apply and are not entitled so it’s worth trying. Make sure to apply by 5 April 2024 and you could get some money backdated!

The rules are straightforward:

Applying only takes a few minutes. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive the money you’re owed within a few weeks by cheque or BACS payment. Just be aware of any scams, and do not click on links in emails or text messages.

How it works:

The non-taxpayer transfers 10% of their tax-free earnings allowance to the taxpayer, who then receives some money back from previous years or a change in tax code.
The non-taxpayer should apply using the online application on the HMRC website or by phone HRMC on 0300 200 3300.

Please circulate this to friends and family, as only some eligible people know or claim it.

You can only backdate the application for 4 tax years, so don’t delay. The deadline for the maximum backdated payment is 5 April 2024.

If you have any enquiries or need support, please contact Jane on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing JaneW@ccha.co.uk.

Cost of Living Payments

Did you receive yours?

Remember that the Government Cost of Living payments for those on means-tested benefits or certain disability benefits should come automatically into the same bank account where you receive your benefits—you don’t need to apply again. If you receive a call, text, or email asking you to apply for the Cost of Living (COL) payment, it could be a scam. 

There were 3 payments due to those on qualifying benefits for 2023/2024, for £301, £300 and £299. 

Qualifying benefits include: 

If you believe you were entitled to the most recent COL payment but did not receive it, you can either apply online or call the DWP office that pays your benefit. Ensure you contact the DWP office that pays your benefit for earlier COL payments. 

Suppose you became eligible for one of these qualifying benefits later, and the benefit was backdated to the qualifying period (see table below). In that case, you may be one of the residents who missed out and should contact DWP about a ‘missing COL payment.’ 

To save time, please check your bank statements carefully to see if you were actually paid. 

Which Payment?

 Qualifying period

You were in receipt of a qualifying benefit or subsequently became eligible for that benefit during the dates below

 Date you should have been paid
£299 Cost of Living Payment 13 November 2023 to 12 December 2023.

 

 Between 6 February to 22 February 2024 for most people.
£300 Cost of Living Payment 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023.

 

 Between 31 October and 19 November 2023 for most people.
£301 Cost of Living Payment 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023. Between 25 April and 17 May 2023 for most people.
Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 (for those in receipt of PIP, DLA, or Attendance allowance) 1 April 2023. 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023.

Good news story

One of our residents reached their State Pension Age at the start of September 2023. Their claim for Pension Credit was not assessed for several months due to a mistake by DWP – her claim was finally evaluated in February 2024. She was eligible for a small Pension Credit, which was backdated to her birthday in September 2023. This means they had eligibility for Pension Credit for 2 of the above ‘qualifying periods’ and will now receive a £200 and £300 Cost of Living Payment. Furthermore, as she was on Pension Credit for the correct qualifying period, they became eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount Scheme. A total of £650 was awarded for help with the cost of living.

A change in the law for Bereavement Support Payments

Until recently, couples who aren’t married or in a civil partnership and live together were not eligible for support payments when their partner passed away.
This has changed since 9 February 2023, and now couples who are dependent on children can make new claims for Bereavement Support Payment if their partner dies. The law change will ensure more children in bereaved families are equally supported, regardless of their parent’s legal relationship status.

For more information, please visit Bereavement Support Payment page.

A resident story: Backdating for those who lost their partner before the change in law

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened a particular 12-month application window for bereaved parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023. This ‘window’ closed on 8 February 2024. ccha welfare advice service supported one resident to apply on 7 February, just in the nick of time! 

Our resident sadly lost their partner, who they were living with but not married to, a few years ago. Our residents shared parental responsibility for their partner’s child. 

We applied for backdated Bereavement Support (lump sum payment) and a monthly fee to cover the period between when the partner passed away and when their child turned 18. Obviously, nothing will make up for our resident’s loss. Still, the backdated DWP payments enabled them to clear several debts and put some money away for the future. 

Claims for Bereavement Support Payment can be made online via gov.uk, over the phone or through a paper application form. Claims for Widowed Parent’s Allowance will be processed by paper. Paper applications can be downloaded or requested over the Bereavement Service helpline.

Annual changes to your rent 

If you receive help to pay your rent directly to you or the landlord (ccha), you will shortly receive a letter telling you what the new rent will be from April 2024 to the end of March 2025. 
You must read the information below and take any necessary actions to pay the correct rent for your property.

For Housing Benefit claimants

If your Housing Benefit is paid directly to you, it is your responsibility to inform the council that pays your benefit what your new rent is:

If ccha receives your benefit directly, we will inform the council of any changes to your rent. However, you can also call or email them to make sure they have the correct figures. In case you need help and support, please contact our Welfare Advisor Jane White on 0800 054 6710 or by email janew@ccha.biz.

For Universal Credit claimants 

You will receive a message and a link in your ‘TO DO’ list on your UC journal. Please follow the instructions to report your new rent. Please note that you must report these details correctly and on time. If your letter states RENT and SERVICE CHARGES separately, you should write these figures separately in your UC journal. The instructions in the link will guide you, but please call us on 0800 054 6710 if you need any help. 

Please also contact us if you have not received a link by 4 April 2024. 

 

 

If you are renting your property, we may not cover your contents as part of your tenancy agreement. It’s a good idea to check when your belongings would be covered and consider whether a home contents insurance policy would cover you in certain situations.  

Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen, and home contents insurance can help provide peace of mind.  

You can use price comparison websites to find an insurance policy that would work for you and your budget or have a look through your bank or other insurance providers.

It’s important to be mindful of how you dispose of your waste, as it can lead to costly and inconvenient repairs.  

Drain blockages can cause damage to pipes and prevent water from draining correctly. Occasionally, engineers will have to spend weeks using high-powered water jets and hand tools to break down rock-like heaps which block sewers and drains. Thames Water suggests that many of these blockages are caused by items like wet wipes, sanitary items, and cotton pads that can’t break down. When these items combine with cooking fats and oils, they eventually block pipes, forcing raw sewage back up drains, plugholes, and toilets into homes.  

To help prevent this, please do not put any of the following down your drains: 

For more information on properly disposing of waste in your area, check with your local authority. 

If you need to report a blockage, please contact us on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing customers@ccha.biz.

Please note, if ccha attend to sort out a drain or toilet blockage and it is found that waste has been disposed on incorrectly, you may be recharged for the call out.