Welfare Rights Officer
Welfare Rights Service
Paisley South Housing Association offers a Welfare Rights Service to our tenants and factored owners on all aspects of benefits and decisions, Tax credits, Debt and income maximisation. The Welfare Rights Service has been established as part of the Association’s “wider role” activities where we jointly employ two Welfare Rights Officers with FLAIR (Federation of Local Associations In Renfrewshire). Our Welfare Rights Officer is Robert Findlay.
The Welfare Rights Service is available to all tenants, sharing owners and factored owners and provides information and advice on a range of areas, including:
- Assisting with income maximization
- Giving advice and helping complete welfare benefits forms and other paperwork to ensure you get the money that you are entitled to. Benefits may include Attendance Allowance, Child Tax Credit, Council Tax Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Pension Credit and Working Tax Credits.
- Helping with appeals if your claim for welfare benefit is turned down.
- Providing general debt advice and putting you in touch with specialist services.
- Assisting making challenges for the overpayment of Housing Benefit
This service is free and confidential.
How to contact our Welfare Rights Officer
You can speak to your Housing Officer who will make a referral to the Welfare Rights Service or you can contact Robert directly on telephone number 01505 384100 or rfindlay@linstone.co.uk. Robert can arrange to meet tenants either at the association’ office or make home visits.
Since the introduction of the Welfare Rights Service in 2007, the Association has made in excess of 573 referrals to Robert.
An example of the kind of help which has been given is:
Client is 70 yrs old and lives with his 67 yr old wife
Mr A receives his Retirement Pension of £156.15 per week , this includes £97.65 for himself and £58.50 for Mrs A.
They have no other income of any kind and have no savings or capital.
They are liable for their rent of £266.25 per month and £108.00 per month for their Council Tax.
Mr /Mrs A are in £863.05 rent arrears and £254.68 council tax arrears.
Total income per week = £156.15
Total outgoings for rent and council tax, per week = £89.69
Mr /Mrs A have asked for an appointment with our Welfare Rights Officer as they are finding it very difficult to manage on their Pension and Mr A‘s health is not good:
After Welfare Rights involvement Mr and Mrs A now receive the following:
Retirement Pension £156.15 per week - same as before
Pension (guarantee) Credit £76.30 per week
Mr A now receives Attendance Allowance at £71.40 per week
Mr and Mrs A now receive £ 393.54 (including full Housing Benefit and Council tax Benefit) per week and would have been entitled to this income for more than 52 weeks and therefore their:
Housing Benefit - Council Tax Benefit and their Pension Credit are all backdated for one year -
They have no Rent or Council Tax arrears.