Down to Earth

SPRING 2013 Down to Earth Welfare Benefits Creating a community Can you dig it are changing New homes in Gnosall mark the ‘Grow for it’ as this find out whether this will start of a new era for Stafford year’s annual garden affect you. pg 4-6 and Rural Homes. pg 12 competition gets ready to launch. pg 24 STAFFORD BOROUGH Also… Health and well-being, Apprentices, Housing developments This issue Welcome Message from Chief Executive Officer STAFFORD BOROUGH Karen Armitage Welfare Reform pg 4 Apprentices pg 8 Spring already and what a lot is going on. The brighter part of the months to come Welfare Reform is of course the biggest include SBC’s Green awards and our own challenge facing us all and it is important garden competition which round up the that you understand the changes and get investment we all make in creating beautiful whatever help you need to manage. gardens and green spaces, reducing energy bills and growing healthy food outdoors. Pre Tenancy pg 9 Community pg 12 Stafford And Rural Homes (SARH) has provided a lot of advice and works hard We are building new homes and will continue with other agencies such as the Citizens to do so by looking creatively with our Board Advice Bureau to make sure the most at how we can strategically limit resources help we can give is provided. further to ensure we have the homes people Money advisor Liz Pilley with Greenhall pupil Alfie Birch, aged three. in Stafford need. Don't forget to talk to Stafford Borough Council (SBC) Housing Benefit team if Enjoy the Spring, lookout for our healthy living Kitchen Refurbishments pg 15 you are affected by changes. They have promotions and Going for Green schemes as some funds they can use in exceptional well as helping us to understand what we can Nursery to benefit circumstances to help people remain in do with you to make our SARH offer something their homes where their circumstances that helps you. can be shown to need an extra bedroom as chosen charity for example. Greenhall Nursery, in Stafford, Stafford And Rural Homes (SARH) has marked the end provides early years care for of one fundraising year and launched another. Greenhall children with a range of physical Nursery is the chosen charity for 2013/14 and funds raised and associated learning disabilities. will help it maintain additional services for children with Initially set up by the former Spastics Message from physical disabilities and provide support for their families. Association (now Scope) in the 1960s, the Chair of the Board it was adopted by the local education authority in 1974. There’s a Starman pg 17 Kevin Upton It was chosen by SARH ambassador of the year Liz Pilley, whose own nephew was helped by a similar organisation in Manchester. It focuses on providing children aged two to five years with assistance in “I wanted to select a local charity and found out about Greenhall. They quietly get As Chair of Stafford And Rural Homes Spring sees new homes, allotments, gaining physical mobility and preparing on with providing an incredible service which is a lifeline not only to the children, (SARH) Board, I am proud to see the range healthy living promotions and much more. many for mainstream school. This comes but to parents who can find themselves in a dark and difficult place when they of improvement schemes in our existing The Board of SARH will stay focused on in the form of conductive education for first discover that their child has a disability,” she says. homes, new developments and services making sure the company delivers great conditions such as Cerebral Palsy and provided by SARH as well as opportunities services, provide homes for our customers We are planning a range of ‘in-house’ fundraising to raise money for the nursery one-to-one teaching and physiotherapy to provide work training and skills for our especially those who need our help in and want you to get on board too – by putting on individual and community to help pupils with communication, new trainees and apprentices. challenging times. It is the job of the Board events. We’d love to cover your activities in a future edition of Opening Doors… confidence and independence. to ensure as much as possible can be so don’t forget to tell us about them. Email: [email protected] The Board works hard to make sure that done with the resources available to us . In addition to this core service, the SARH staff stay focused on being a great Last year we raised a total of nursery, provides additional services landlord whilst focusing on the many £765.25p for Katharine House Hospice. to support parents of younger children changes and challenges facing this This came from a number of events not on the school roll and also siblings Plot to trot pg 19 young housing company. including a dress down day, afternoon of disabled children within the school. tea, Christmas tombola and raffle, This is vital work, helping them cope with raising £673.85. the particular requirements of conditions and putting in place lines of support. This publication is also available in alternative formats such as Braille, 50% In addition, we donated 10p for every large print and audio. It can also be made available in other customer who completed and returned It is these “added value” services, not funded by Staffordshire County Council, languages. Contact Marketing and PR on 01785 216790 . SGS-COC-005062 a recent customer satisfaction survey – a further £91.40. which require charitable donations. Can you dig it? pg 24 02 Opening Doors Spring 2013 0800 111 4554 Back row, from the left, Chris Kelly, Health Care Assistant at Katherine House Hospice and Jo Hough, Spring 2013 Opening Doors 03 Head of Human Resources for SARH. Front row, from the left, Kay Harland, a hospice volunteer, Patient, Pauline Whitehurst, Karen Armitage, Chief Executive of SARH and Pat Ward. Welfare Benefits are Changing One of the first changes to welfare It will not be covered by your housing disabled children. You will need to notify reform will be the introduction of spare benefit entitlement. The rules around Stafford Borough Council’s Housing room subsidy known as the ‘bedroom exemptions are complicated but the Benefit Department on 01785 619000 Will it affect you? tax’ which is payable from 1 April. If you Government has now made some if you fall into these categories. live in social housing, are working age, provision to exclude the homes of However, more than 600 homes in receive benefits and have an “extra” military personnel and foster parents. Stafford Borough will be affected. bedroom (as defined by Government Some discretionary funds have been criteria) – you will have to pay extra. made available for families with Ask yourself, will it be you? My son is out fighting in Afghanistan, My husband snores and I often sleep this is his only permanent address. in the other bedroom to get some sleep. ! Will we have to pay more? Will we have to pay more? In March, the Government announced Yes, the Government regulations envisage that bedrooms of those serving in the couples requiring only one bedroom. If you armed forces will be exempt. You need wish to stay in your current home, you will YES to contact Housing Benefit to confirm need to pay additional rent. your arrangements. • I’m working age • I’m receiving or about My son’s at university but comes home I have two boys aged 16 and 17 who to claim benefits most weekends. Do I have to pay extra My daughter is registered disabled and have their own rooms. Will I have for his bedroom? cannot sleep in the same room as her to pay bedroom tax? sister because she rarely sleeps through Yes, currently the regulations state that the NO No, only children of the same sex up to the night. Will I have to pay bedroom tax? I have my kids to stay at weekends bedroom is ‘additional’ as the student is the age of 16 will be expected to share. No, the Government has acknowledged • I’m retired will I have to pay for my ‘extra’ bedroom? residing elsewhere for most of the year. If a child over the age of 21 is living at that disabled children do not have to share • I’m not claiming benefits Yes, if you are not the parent with residence, home and they are not in full-time with siblings. Contact Housing Benefit education, they will be expected you are not entitled to the additional room to confirm arrangements. under the Government rules to pay a contribution. Julie Irene Barry Keira Julie is unemployed and receives benefits. She lives Irene lives in a three-bedroom house with her husband Bob Barry lives with his partner Cheryl in a two-bedroom flat. Keira is an unemployed mum of two – a boy, aged five and in a three-bedroom home. Her daughter is at university and son Richard, aged 20, who are both disabled. She is a They both have children who live with previous partners. daughter, four. She lives in a three-bedroom house and and lives away for most of the year but still considers full-time carer and receives an allowance. Bob receives high Barry’s daughter is 17 and Cheryl has a 12-year-old son receives full housing benefit. She is hopeful of gaining her mum’s place as home. care and high mobility disability living allowance (DLA).

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