worcester housing and benefit advice centre offers:
information
advice
advocacy
practical assistance and
representation
in the area’s of welfare benefits and housing. The Centre has been awarded the Community Legal Service Quality Mark at the General Help with Casework level for both its housing and benefit work. Our services are free of charge, confidential and independent of any outside agency.
Welfare Benefits Advice
The Centre is committed to maximizing the income of our service users and offers advice on entitlement to appropriate benefits. We also provide advice on “in work” benefits and maintain computer software packages to perform complex “better off” calculations for those wishing to move off benefits and into work. We can assist with completing claim forms, identifying and obtaining the necessary supporting information to ensure successful claims and can provide advocacy to challenge decisions up to and including representation at appeal tribunals.
Outreach
To ensure that the Welfare Benefits service is accessible, as well as having drop-in sessions and appointments at the Angel Centre itself, we also offer an outreach service. This provides home visits for people who are unable to call at the Centre, for example people with mobility problems, the elderly or full-time carers. The outreach service also operates a weekly surgery at St. Paul’s Hostel for the Homeless.
Housing Advice
The Centre also offers a comprehensive Housing Advice service. We are committed to preventing homelessness and our work in this area ranges from advice and assistance with housing benefit claims, acting to resolve arrears, repossession and/or eviction action, to accessing furniture, repairs and grants. As well as helping people to remain in their accommodation we also assist with securing alternative housing. This work ranges from identifying suitable options and help with making applications, to providing advocacy and assistance to challenge local authority homeless or allocation decisions.
