Stark reality of bedroom tax

 

A PhD student from the London School of Economics has created ‘My Spare Room’, a blog that enables those suffering from the introduction of the bedroom tax to share their experiences. The tax currently affects 600,000 people and can add between £40 and £100 to monthly bills.

Images posted by tenants support their accompanying comments, with some saying that they are now suffering from physical and mental health problems due to the strain placed upon them by the tax. One tenant states,

“I’ve been living on toast because it’s cheap. I’ve been sitting in the dark because I can’t afford to run the electricity.”

Student Eileen Herden hopes that her blog will reassure contributors that they are not alone, and will act as a positive step towards addressing the problem. Click here to read more.

Seasonal energy saving advice

As the clocks go back and the nights draw in, energy bills inevitably increase. However, there is an (energy saving) light at the end of the tunnel! Landlords and tenants alike can benefit from information workshops being held across the UK sharing ideas on reducing energy costs. The Energy Community has teamed up with Sanctuary Housing to offer tenants free advice and one-to-one support. Similar events will be held across the UK – visit the Citizen’s Advice website for more details on Big Energy Saving Week 2015.

Women in Housing Awards highlights

The third annual Women in Housing Awards took place in Manchester on 22 October. The ceremony was hosted by inspirational philanthropist and presenter Katie Piper. Women working in the housing sector were nominated for achieving excellence in their field. Brenda Grixti (Wythenshawe Community Housing) received the award for ‘Most Effective Project in Improving the Lives of Women or Communities’ for her work championing the well-being of families in her community, and the award for ‘Best Community Project to Rebuild Women’s Lives’ went to the UK’s only refuge for women with learning disabilities, Beverly Lewis House (East Thames Group).

TP Tracker’s Profiling module allows you to identify specific groups of tenants, enabling the development of projects that target a particular demographic, such as vulnerable women. By using this in conjunction with our Communications module, you can recruit and maintain contact with participants to oversee volunteer work such as community projects and scrutiny panels.

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