MACCLESFIELD RESIDENTS SAVE £80,000 » Housing » 24dash.com

As Citizen Advice Bureaus across the country are receiving record numbers of calls because of the credit crunch , it is heartening to note that, here in Macclesfield, help is at hand for Templar residents. Over the last 18 months Templar Housing Association residents in Macclesfield have reaped the benefits from a successful bid for funding for a Citizen Advice Bureau service from The Regenda Group. After the first year offering a Citizen Advice service, Templar Housing Association Board have reported great success as they have directly helped and assisted around 100 residents and their families in the area with the service managing to save the residents approximately £88,000 to date and this amount is rising on a daily basis. This extraordinary amount of money has come from assistance with unclaimed benefits, increase in benefits and allowances and equal pay claims to name a few. Some residents have also been given access to special funding for household appliances such as refrigerators, cookers and other domestic goods. The service offered by the CAB is free of charge and confidential, with a wide range of services being offered including debt counselling, personal support with a range of family issues, employment, health and social care advice. The CAB offers a quick route for Templar residents, through this joint venture, with appointments being secured in about three to four days whereas the general public may have to wait weeks for attention. Janet Sharrocks, Vice Chair of Templar Board said, The Templar Board applied for monies to fund a joint Templar / CAB project and this was our first successful bid. We were delighted to be granted the bid and get the go-ahead from The Regenda Group. We know that the CAB service provided has been well received and the word is spreading. We are looking forward to reporting even greater success at the end of year two. The project has fully recouped the money outlaid and looks set to exceed all expectations. Thanks go to Julie Woodhead, Subsidiary Director at Templar HA for her enthusiastic support and to Macclesfield CAB for their unstinting efforts on our behalf. Julie Woodhead, Director for Templar Housing Association part of The Regenda Group said, I am delighted with the success of this project in its first year and all the help that has been given to Templar tenants in Macclesfield. Templar Housing Association recognises that managing finances and other issues is not always easy for our tenants and are funding this proactive service to help them. The service has already shown that it is not just about looking at debt but can be about increasing the benefit entitlement to put more money in tenants pockets and about helping people to have a more positive and engaged attitude to their lives. The Templar Board is pleased with the outcome of this project and has committed to continue funding it for the next two years. For further information and free advice, please contact the Macclesfield Citizen Advice Bureau on 01625 432847 or call into the office located on Sunderland Street in Macclesfield. (Please quote that you are a Templar resident). Case Studies from Templar Citizen Advice Bureau 1.One resident who was referred to the CAB directly by Regenda was in danger of accruing significant rent arrears due to difficulty with her housing benefit claim, which was compounded by her own inability to deal with daily problems. The CAB were able to assess her actual entitlements to benefits and liaise directly with the Local Authority to detail the basis of her claim and then assist the resident to formulate an appeal, in anticipation of the claim being refused. In fact, the claim was accepted and all arrears were paid off. 2.The bureau has assisted a resident in establishing the correct amount of benefits to be paid, and through that, maintain regular payments against his rent account. At the same time they were able to identify that the client as entitled to other benefits. Also the CAB was able to facilitate reconciliation with his estranged daughter.