Summer 2014
Summer 2015
Dear Supporter, At least now we know - a further 5 years of austerity Our Welfare and Benefits At Christmas timePage, we wrote Advisor, Jessica tells us to come. Many of those we house will face even more to youher about the increase in She about tenant, Mrs Carter. challenges, and without our help, these will sometimes need across our tenant base. is a retired pensioner, 70 years old, prove too much for them who has worked heryoung entire life. She We told you about was diagnosed with cancer and In the meantime… the housing crisis continues people from care,unable had to leavetheir work some months to manage tenancies ‘We represent London’s 15 largest before pension age. Her son JackA national charity for single without support, families homeless people identified ‘the housing associations. Our members still lives with her at home, after struggling to manage shortage of suitable affordable have a development pipeline he attacked and onwas unpredictable worknearly lost housing and no initiative to of 93,000 desperately needed his life. Heand works full time as a patterns reduced correct it, benefit reform homes. This policy could bring that benefits,driver. and the shrinking delivery especially the squeeze on programme to a shuddering halt. of older people services housing benefit, and the erosion It makes no sense, especially when in anCarter environment where £125 a Mrs only receives of support for those who need many of our homes have been the elderly week in herpopulation pension. isBoth she help, as the root causes of the built (and will be built) without any increasing. and her son are struggling to housing crisis’. government funding.’ get has recently had his Howby. areJack we progressing with 86% of the British public terms and conditions changed Around at And David Orr, Chief Executive of the forming long term solutions know we have a housing crisis. work to a zero hours contract, National Housing Federation, wrote: to these problems? Politicians finally put Housing at which means that his working the top of their manifestos before Housing associations are a huge Several groups staff across pattern is now of sporadic, without the election. But the Conservative force for good. They are the most the organisation areto working guaranteed hours pay his party’s policy announcement to effective public/private partnerships withwage. tenants to create full introduce a Right to Buy deal for in the history of the nation. They projects and programs to council and housing association contribute, on average, £6 of resolve these problems We had no idea that Mrs Carter tenants, caused alarm across all their own funds to every £1 from which will become part of couldn’t afford to eat. She came Housing Associations in the UK, government. They build homes our corporate strategy to be inlaunched to the office to see Jessica especially in London. for rent and sale, both market in July. Jack,and andthey worked through and mentioned that she had not As a very temporary fix, we gave and social invest hugetheir As resolving the crisis is at the We will be able to give you a of food bank voucher, sums in weekly budget. It became been eating, and would pretend the communities and clear that top ofMrs theCarter agenda Housing more in theshe September neighbourhoods where they work. which supplied her with food for they were spending quite a bit at to herdetail son that had eaten. Associations, in an open letter to Supporter All this is put at risk. This is plain three days. In the meantime, Jessica the laundrette, as they did not own They couldUpdate. only afford to feed The Times, the chairman of the bad policy. sat downSarsfield with both Mrs Carter and a washing machine. one person in the household. G15, Brendan wrote:
I would like to support Notting Hill’s projects regularly Please fill in the banker’s order and return it to Notting Hill Housing at
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30006 Notting Hill Housing Supporters.indd 1
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We used our Hardship Fund to buy a washing machine and they can now afford that little bit of extra food each week. … run by Mandy, is funded by
The Volunteer Programme
your donations. Mandy tells us ‘The programme having Sadly, cases like thisisare common. unmeasurable positive impact As hard working as people may be, on the lives of many of our there are many who struggle to tenants,through bringing no activity, survive, faultfun, of their stimulation, friendship own. Luckily, we wereand ablea to work greater of well with Mrssense Carter and being Jack to find a to people who have often way to help them pay forfelt food. This forgotten.’ is not the case with many others, who have turned to borrowing Hen Power An exciting new from doorstep lenders or payday project bringing hens and hen loans for to food. coops two of our extra care schemes where residents will According to and Theencouraged Debt Advisory be taught to Centre, over 25% respondents look after themof and have fresh to a London survey that eggs!! More revealed news after thethey had summermoney launch.to cover their food to borrow shopping. The percentage of 35 to 44 year olds who have borrowed to pay the grocery bill in the last month has increased from 6% to 22%. Key Retirement Solutions report that 20% of over-65s have also had to borrow.
80 of our 180 volunteers are befrienders, often the only company some of our isolated tenants have
Other volunteers like Tony, a professional dancer, does movement therapy with older residents in one of our schemes. Some do healthy eating sessions, visits to museums and galleries, art classes, fetes and events, IT and literacy classes
A partnership with Cubitt artists who rent spaces at one of our schemes for a peppercorn rent in exchange for creative classes which they hold for our residents
London Marathon 2014 Heroes This year, 24 brave people took on the challenge of running 26.2 miles across London to raise money for us. This included one of our tenants, Richard. “I wanted to run for Notting Hill Housing Trust because me and my family currently live in one of their homes. I have experienced personally the great work The Mildmaysall Collective work withand residents from an extra help they give to families who are producing artwork for care scheme who have severe disabilities, in trouble. I reallyexhibition wanted at toThe givePrinthouse Gallery. “Wheelin n’ Dealin’” them as much help as I could to try and repay them for all the help they gave to me and my family”
The rising prices of food, the freezing or lowering of wages and the benefits cuts all happening at once means our Hardship Fund is in more demand than ever. It is with your donations that we are able to The valuelike of the your donations help families Carters, the is felt by people right across our tenant base where small and big differences made toAindividual’s livesand onWell a daily huge Thank You Donebasis. goes out to everyone for taking washing machine purchaseare really part and making this year’s Marathon another success! made the difference between Thank you eating or not.
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Donate online: www.nottinghillhousing.org.uk/donate 30006 Notting Hill Housing Supporters.indd 2
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