Mrs Morris
Mrs Morris (81 yrs.) is a widow and homeowner. She is living with a number of health conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, arthritis and recently spent 3 weeks in hospital following a stroke. Prior to her stroke she had been very independent despite her multiple heath conditions. Her two daughters and their family all live a considerable distance from her.
Mrs Morris contacted Care & Repair (C&R) as she was worried about her roof, two of the three bedrooms had signs of water leaking in and this was causing her considerable distress.
The C&R Technical Officer visited, identified the problem and confirmed the deterioration of the roof was a major problem and needed replacing. Roof repairs had been attempted on several occasions in the past but had not resolved the problems. The roof was made of a non-traditional material, corrugated asbestos, and any work on the roof would need to be undertaken by a specialist contractor. The TO received quotes from two suitably qualified contactors and the cost of the work was £9,492 (includes VAT).
Mrs Morris lived off her state pension only and had no saving to draw on to pay for the replacement roof.
The C &R Caseworker worked with Mrs Morris to identify and apply for benevolent funding to pay for the replacement roof. Due to her late husband having served in the Royal Pioneer Corps. Funding totally £8,437 was received from the Army Benevolent Fund, Royal Logistic Corps. SSAFA Emergency Fund and the Royal British Legion.
The Caseworker also carried out a Welfare Benefits check to ensure Mrs Morris was claiming all she was entitled. Mrs Morris was not claiming Attendance Allowance (AA), so this was applied for resulting in the higher rate (£87.65 per week) being awarded. Following this award Mrs Morris wanted to contribute towards the cost of the work and gave £300.
Before the work could start the caseworker had to find the remaining £756 and successfully applied to the Care and Repair Healthy Homes for Older People fund.
This fund, held by Care & Repair Cymru, can be accessed on behalf of C&R clients across Wales who meet the funds criteria. The £4,554 received from the 2018 Big Give campaign formed a substantial contribution to the fund.
Following the work to replace the roof Mrs Morris is now living in a warm, secure home with no water ingress via the roof. Her weekly income has increased due to applying for AA and her general wellbeing has improved as she is no longer worried about the roof.