Updated: 08/03/2011
Updated: 08/03/2011
Have a look at some of our case studies to see the range of issues that we can help with. These are all real cases, though people's names have been changed to preserve their confidentiality.
“Helen” visited us because she felt that she had been mis-sold a pension. We advised her on her rights to compensation and helped her complete a lengthy application form for compensation. Six months later Helen contacted us to tell us that £20,000 had been credited to her pension fund as compensation. She was very grateful for our help.
Top of page“Arif” suffers from long-term mental health problems. Robina, his wife and main carer, joined him in Tunstall three years ago. This year they contacted us for help with claiming child benefit for their second child. Because no one had advised them that they had been entitled to claim benefit after Robina had been resident in the UK for a year, they had spent the last two years struggling on a grossly inadequate income.
We helped them apply for Child Benefit, Income Support and a Maternity grant, increasing their weekly income by £90 a week. Had we not been running a session at the mental health day centre that Arif attended it is unlikely they would have received the advice they so desperately needed.
Top of page“Maureen’s” home was repossessed in 1996, following the breakdown of her marriage. She was re-housed by the Council and heard nothing from the Building Society until their solicitors wrote to her in 2001 saying that the house had been sold. However, it had not made enough to pay off the outstanding mortgage or the interest that had been added after she was repossessed, and she now owed them £25,000.
Although she was now working again, she received a low wage and there was no way she could afford to clear this debt. Having had a token but affordable monthly payment rejected, we discussed what she could manage with Maureen, we agreed to offer a lump sum of £1,000 to settle the debt. The Building Society accepted this, and wrote off the balance, glad to close the account.
Top of page“Maria” was re-housed by the council after her privately rented home was declared unfit to live in. Within hours of moving in she had been subject to racial abuse, and damage both to her car and home. She complained to the Council, who were reluctant to move her, commenting that other families from black and minority ethnic groups lived locally, and they had not complained of any problems. She then contacted the Police who referred her to us.
The CAB caseworker investigated and found enough evidence to persuade the council that she had been a victim of racism. As a result she was nominated to a local housing association, who re-housed her closer to her previous address and her friends and family.
Top of page“David” approached us for advice at our County Court clinic as he was facing eviction from his Council House for rent arrears. He had struggled to pay his rent because his seriously disabled wife, Jean, was spending the weekends at home, and the week in residential care, but he was receiving no money for looking after her.
Having liaised on David’s behalf with both the Disability Benefits Unit and the local Social Security Office we were able to establish a pattern of care which entitled Jean to Disability Living Allowance and David to Invalid Care Allowance. This then entitled David to Income Support on top of his Incapacity Benefit, which in turn entitled him to full Housing and Council Tax benefits.
Once Housing Benefit was in payment, and had been backdated as far as was possible, the Council accepted affordable payments off the arrears, the eviction was averted and David can now afford to care for Jean when she is home.”
Top of page“Janice” has suffered from post-natal depression and panic attacks for seven years. In April, the Department of Work and Pensions stopped her Incapacity Benefit stating she was fit to work. We helped her appeal the decision and collected evidence from her community psychiatric nurse and doctor.
At the appeal tribunal we successfully argued that her condition prevented her from working and her benefit was reinstated.
Top of page“Jim” was facing eviction from his Housing Association flat when he contacted us. We immediately applied to the Court to get the eviction order suspended, and then looked at why the arrears had arisen. When we discovered this was due to the late payment of his Housing Benefit we quickly helped him make a new claim, which was successful and stopped the arrears increasing.
“Jim” had not been able to make his own claims because he can not read or write, and is partially sighted. He also had not been able to respond to the letters from his landlord about his arrears. Once we had told the Housing Association about “Jim’s” problems they allocated a tenancy support worker to help him with future claims and letters and agreed to accept a payment Jim can afford towards the outstanding arrears.
Top of page“Jason” came to see us when his wife, Kim, left him. His main problem was how he was going to cope with caring for their disabled teenage son, Mark.
Having discussed Invalid Care Allowance and other benefit options, given Jason the details of local carers and support groups, and advised him on the help available from Social Services, Jason the told us that Kim had also left him with thousands of pounds worth of debt, none of which Jason had been previously aware of. The most pressing debt was the rent which was seriously in arrears, and the landlord had applied for possession of their home. We went to Court with Jason to ask them to suspend the possession order to allow Jason time to clear the arrears at an affordable rate, and the Court agreed.
We then helped Jason prioritise his debts and advised him on an affordable payment schedule. We were also able to separate the debts Jason was liable for from Kim’s debts, and as these totalled less than £5,000 we helped Jason apply for an administration order. Now he makes one, affordable, payment to the Court each month who distribute it amongst his creditors.
Top of page“Rachel” suffers from both mental and physical health conditions, but nevertheless her claim for Disability Living Allowance was refused. We helped her appeal, collected evidence from her consultant and doctor. We also researched her physical condition, which was unusual and subject to conflicting medical opinion; we then represented her at the Disability Appeal Tribunal.
The Tribunal decided that she was entitled to Disability Living Allowance at the highest rates. They were also entitled to Income Support as a couple, and her partner then became entitled to Invalid Care Allowance for looking after her. Altogether they were £195 a week better off, and because the matter had taken so long to resolve, they also received £11,000 in backdated benefits.
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