Tens of thousands of social housing tenants across Scotland have been helped to claw back more than £9 million in unpaid cash from the UK’s “complicated” benefits system.
The Wheatley Group, which administers Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) and five other organisations, said that its staff had intervened in more than 20,000 cases to help people claim financial assistance they were due.
The group said that many struggled to fill in forms or access online payments – and were missing out on money which was rightfully theirs.
Some of those affected said being able to access benefits they were unaware of, or thought they had been denied, was a “lifeline” which helped them keep their heads above water while they relied on food parcels to get by.
Among the unclaimed benefits Wheatley Group staff helped tenants access last year was £2.62 million in additional Universal Credit payments, £2.35 million in Personal Independence Payments and £1.5 million in Housing Benefit or Local Housing allowance.
In total, the housing, care and property-management group helped secure £9.4 million of unclaimed welfare benefits its tenants were due.
Bernadette Hewitt (chair of GHA), Beth McNeil (regional MD of Keepmoat Homes), Cllr Susan Aitken, leader of GCC.
Wheatley Group is Scotland’s largest social housing management organisation, provides support services to more than 200,000 tenants across Scotland, including fuel advisors, ‘EatWell’ food parcels and an emergency response fund to help tenants with essential household items.
READ MORE: Terminally ill Scots live on £340 a month and told to wait until after pandemic for benefits
The six housing associations under its umbrella are: GHA, Cube, Loretto Housing in the west, Dunedin Canmore and West Lothian Housing partnership in the east and Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership in the south.
GHA tenant Amanda Hay, 30, from Nitshill in Glasgow, fell into arrears and turned to her housing officer for help. Ms Hay said: “My Housing Benefit got stopped. I have five kids and I was struggling.
“I got in touch with my housing officer and he really helped. He put me in touch with a GHA welfare benefits advisor and they dealt with the DWP for me.
“I got a backdated payment which helped me pay off my rent arrears. I’m much happier now. My housing officer also arranged emergency food parcels for me and the kids. That was a definite lifeline."
Alison Bain, from Royston in Glasgow, approached her GHA welfare benefits advisor for support.
Ms Bain, 56, said: “I didn’t really know where to start as claiming benefits is very complicated.
“My welfare benefits advisor got in touch, looked at my circumstances and helped me fill in the forms. It was a great relief. I’d say to any tenant to use the service and find out what you are entitled to.”
Community Engagement Officer Adam Bell with tenants at the GHA office foodbank in Wallacewell Road, Barmulloch.
Dunedin Canmore tenant Ruth Rys from Edinburgh is a carer for her family.
Ms Rys, 52, said: “We’d previously applied for Personal Independence Payment, but we didn’t get it and it was a very stressful process.
“My housing officer put me in touch with our welfare benefit advisor. The support we got was amazing. He knew what steps we needed to take.
“We got money backdated and also help with other benefits. It saved our lives.”
READ MORE: Benefits in Scotland - Find out how much you are entitled to
Olga Clayton, Wheatley Group director of housing and care, said: “The welfare benefits system can be complex for people to navigate.
“Tenants may presume they’re already getting all the financial support available or they’re not entitled to anything. Others may worry their claim will be rejected or they struggle to apply online.
“Welfare benefits are a vital safety net for many people on low-incomes. We are here to help tenants claim all of the benefits they are entitled to. The support and advice we can offer is life-changing.”
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