Generous grants of more than £25,000 have secured the future for a vital help at home service for people in need in the Warwick town provided by local charity Citizens Advice South Warwickshire.
The Charity of Thomas Oken and Nicholas Eyffler and Warwick Town Council have given the money to support the Reach Out and Help service run by Citizens Advice. The service helps people in crisis who aren’t able to access help at the normal advice sessions.
Since September 2016 one caseworker has helped 71 people in Warwick town, some of whom are very socially isolated. But the new funding means that the service could help about 132 people with issues such as benefits, debt and money management issues as well as getting access to the health and social care they need.
Clive Mason, Chairman of the Charity of Thomas Oken and Nicholas Eyffler said:
“Although the Charity has been well known for many years for its Almshouses in Warwick, it is now funding two other Care projects; one which provides night carers for Warwick Myton Hospice at Home and the other, which involves other Warwick Charities, provides two ‘Oken Nurses’ who are delivering enhanced care at home in Warwick. This new programme compliments these projects and the aims of our Charity very well and the Trustees are delighted to support another group of people in need in our Town.”
Yvonne Hunter, Chair of Trustee for Citizens Advice South Warwickshire said:
“We are so grateful for this support which we know will make such a difference to the lives of those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or isolated. We will be able to literally knock on the door of people who are in desperate need of help and advice.”
“The problems we find behind these closed doors can be heartbreaking, but working with other organisations we are able put together holistic support to meet people’s needs and help them put life back together”.
Warwick Town & District Councillor for Saltisford Ward, Terry Morris said:
“Given that much of the excellent work undertaken by Citizen’s Advice takes place in Saltisford Ward, I was keen to sponsor a request for Warwick Town Council to provide funding for the much-needed Reach Out at Home Project. Once I became fully aware of the benefits of expanding the Project throughout Warwick, I was delighted to broker an introduction between Citizen’s Advice and The Charity of Thomas Oken and Nicholas Efflyer – The Charity already supports a number of care initiatives for Warwick residents in need and I was confident that they would want to become involved in the Reach out at Home Project.”
The Reach Out and Help service in Warwick town is supported with a grant of £21,123 from The Charity of Thomas Oken and Nicholas Eyffler, £5,000 from Warwick Town Council and is also helped by a £2,500 grant from Orbit Heart of England housing association.
Case Study with the names changed
Mick is a 76 year old man living with his wife Eva in sheltered housing in Warwick. Mick is the primary carer for Eva who has Parkinson’s and early dementia. He was referred to us by his GP surgery as they were concerned Mick was not coping with his finances and struggled with his caring duties. He was getting increasingly confused and suffering from mobility issues as well as other physical ailments.
Soon after we started to help, Eva was hospitalized and transferred to 24 hr care. Our caseworkers helped Mick to explain the change of circumstances to different organisations, including the District Council that recalculated his benefits and helped him deal with his personal and previous business debts.
Mick’s paperwork was particularly chaotic. We managed to untangle it and pass it on to Ella, his daughter after we secured a free legal appointment for her to help arrange Power of Attorney and Appointee so she could control her parents finances. We arranged for Attendance Allowance and helped Mick get a Motability car. He has slowly been getting on top of his finances.
Outcomes:
- £4,280 per year Attendance Allowance
- Water bill reduced from £480 to only £32.90 per year
- Debt written off by Housing Association
- Mobility car, which helps him visit his wife daily and pain free
We are still in touch with Mick, waiting for his wife to be discharged from hospital and ensure that Mick has sufficient benefits and support to look after Eva properly.