Benefit boost for Didcot family carers

Sovereign Vale Press Release
Date: 06 February 2012

Benefits boost for Didcot family carers

A family in Didcot in which a son and daughter are caring for their elderly mother had a pleasant surprise when a diligent tenant support advisor from their housing association realised that they had not received benefits they were entitled to.

The family, who do not want to be identified, received £14,500 in backdated payments.

The family consists of a son, 47, and daughter, 51, who look after their 88-year-old mother. The daughter had to leave her job eight years ago when their father passed away to be able to stay at home to look after her mother. Later, the son became unemployed, and the family encountered growing financial difficulties.

They always managed to pay their weekly rent of £62.67, but struggled to meet their other financial responsibilities.

“We received a phone call from Sovereign Vale,” the son explains, “and they asked us why we weren’t able to keep up with the bills. We explained the situation and they sent a housing officer around to talk to us about the situation and try to find alternative ways to approach the situation.”

Tenant Support Advisor Peter Coombs realised the family had not applied for Carers Allowance during the years the daughter had been looking after their mother. This amounted to an extra £55.55 per week.

Coombs and Welfare Officer Suzanne Key also found that for two and a half years the family had not received housing benefits and council tax benefits they were entitled to. This amounted to £14,500.

“It’s not only a relief that we are now up to date with everything. It’s such a nice, stress-free feeling knowing that my mum is no longer getting all the letters we used to, telling us how behind with payments we are,” the son says.

“Sovereign was very helpful, and Mr Coombs was there for us throughout the whole process, and still is. We couldn’t have done it on our own, and I hope that there are other people out there who will realise that there are ways to get back on track with your finances, even though it might look like you’ve got nowhere to turn to.”


Notes to Editors

* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.

* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk