Welfare Rights Specialist Surgery (360G-SCVO-a0g3z00000HpNLyAAN)

The Well proposes to work in partnership with Southside Housing Association (SHA), paying them directly for a Welfare Rights Specialist to be based in The Well half a day per week to deal with a full range of client cases. The Well would pay SHA for one whole day per week to cover both the surgery and the time dealing with the cases outwith the surgery, for example when preparing for and representing a client at an appeal. For the past five years, a Welfare Rights Specialist from SHA had run a surgery at The Well every Friday morning. This was the Association's most successful outreach surgery with an average of eight appointments every week. In November this year, SHA regretted to inform us that they no longer had the funding to hold any outreach welfare rights surgeries. The Well's volunteer Advisors are trained to be able to give first tier advice and support regarding benefits. This may involve checking eligibility, helping the client through the application process and supporting the client in maintaining their benefits. However, on the occasions that benefits have been refused, they were previously able to refer clients to this specialist surgery. At the specialist surgery clients could be assisted with mandatory reconsideration as well as representation at appeals and tribunals. Without this specialist surgery, The Well can only refer people to their Housing Associations for specialist welfare rights advice. There can be very long waiting lists and the appointments are outwith the familiar culturally-sensitive environment that The Well provides. Furthermore, The Well now has nowhere to refer clients who rent from private landlords, of whom there are many, as the Housing Associations only deal with their own tenants. Private tenants' cases have to be dealt with quickly as private landlords cannot/will not wait for cases to be resolved before demanding rent payment. The only place locally that can help with these cases is Govanhill Law Centre and they generally only deal with the most complex cases and have long waiting lists. This is likely to lead to desperate situations and evictions for some families. The Well would like to re-establish a surgery within its own centre on Albert Road, Govanhill, paying SHA directly for this service. This would provide better, more seamless, accessible care and service for our ethnically-diverse clients, and would crucially allow fast help for those renting from private landlords whose cases, and rent payments, cannot wait. In addition, The Well would like to send two of its committed volunteers on a five-day CPAG Welfare Rights Training Course so that they can work alongside the Welfare Rights Specialist, and expertise among The Well's own Advice Workers is advanced.