Home maintenance grant launched by Age Concern
ELDERLY people who have difficulty maintaining their home can now apply for a charity grant, which could see them receive up to £200.
The home maintenance grant was launched by Age Concern Guernsey.
Speaking at the charity’s AGM, attended by more than 80 members, chairman David Inglis said the fund was designed to help older adults with issues in the home.
‘The home maintenance grant is not for refurbishment or renovations,’ Mr Inglis said.
‘We are yet to finalise the criteria for the grant. We will listen to each applicant’s
particular situation.
‘We are anticipating the grant will work along similar lines to the winter fuel fund and we are approaching the applications from a position of wanting to help.
‘It will be a suck-it-and-see situation.’
Hunter Adam, the administrator of the winter fuel fund, through the John Ramplin Charitable Trust, said the committee had raised the amount of saved capital an applicant could hold while remaining eligible to apply to the fund from £15,000 to £20,000.
‘We felt the amount older adults should be allowed to have in their savings account should go up because they have to replace their own boilers, pay for their own roof repairs, and it was only reasonable to increase the threshold,’ Mr Adam said.
He confirmed that the money for 2021 and 2022 had already been given to Age Concern Guernsey.
‘With the money we have left over from last year, we have ample funds to enable us to continue the winter fuel fund services to qualifying applicants.’
Mr Adam reported that 90 households, representing 100 pensioners, had received money from the winter fuel fund in the past year.
He said the pandemic meant that many of the assessments to qualify for funds had been carried out over the telephone, with 20 home
visits.
He appealed for people to consider joining the Age Concern committee to keep the fund operating.
‘The fuel fund is 10 years old and the loss of some committee members and the lack of new volunteers to run it is a problem. If this continues, I would suggest, the future may be in question.’
Mr Inglis said the investment fund had weathered the pandemic well and stood at some £290,000.
