“Call Social Security if you’re struggling to survive”

Sunday 26 May 2019

A lot of elderly islanders are unaware that they are eligible for financial assistance under the new income support system, the administrator of Age Concern’s Winter Fuel Fund has said.

Deputy Lester Queripel is urging all islanders to contact Social Security if they are struggling financially having seen first-hand that many people who applied to the charity’s fuel fund over the winter did not know they would qualify for financial support from the States.

“Many of the applicants to our fund don’t realise that Social Security now operate an Income Support system, the primary intention of Income Support being to provide financial assistance to islanders who find themselves consistently struggling to survive financially,” he said.

“Once we have made our applicants aware of the Income Support system, several of them have then contacted Social Security and submitted an application for financial assistance via Income Support. The majority of them who have applied have been pleasantly surprised, and extremely relieved, when the response has been that they do indeed qualify for Income Support.

“I urge any islander (not just pensioners) who is struggling to survive financially, to call Social Security on 732500 and ask to speak to a member of staff who works in the Benefits Section and submit an application for Income Support.”

Deputy Queripel stressed that “the staff who work in the Social Security offices aren’t the ogres that some of the members of our community make them out to be” and that people should not be afraid to contact them. 

The Income Support scheme launched in July last year, replacing the rent rebate and supplementary benefit schemes that were previously in place.

In the long run merging the two schemes is expected to cost the taxpayer £4 million more per year, but was approved by the States on the basis that it would make the system fairer as support is no longer dependent on living in social housing.  

Under Income Support, which is based at Edward T Wheadon House, many more low income households also qualify for medical cover and the States' Winter Fuel Allowance.

Age Concern’s own Winter Fuel Fund supported a record number of islanders last year, exceeding three figures for the first time. 

“We operated the fund from November 1 2018 until April 30 2019 [and] I’m delighted to say that we were able to grant, and successfully resolve, 104 of the 106 applications for financial assistance,” said Deputy Queripel. “We rejected the remaining two on the grounds that one of them exceeded the ‘savings cap’ we have in place of £13,000 for a single pensioner and £15,000 for a couple, and the other exceeded our weekly ‘disposable income’ cap of £100 for a single pensioner and £180 for a pensioner couple.

“The vast majority of our applications come from single pensioners, but a handful do come from couples and because of that fact, 113 of our pensioners here in the island have benefitted from the fund over the 2018/19 winter period.”

It is the sixth winter Age Concern has operated the fund, which has grown substantially since its first year where only 31 applications were made.  

“To state the obvious, the only reason our fund even exists is because we have some extremely generous benefactors out in our community, who donate considerable amounts of money to our fund,” said Deputy Queripel. “We are indebted to them all, as, of course, are all of the recipients of the grants we allocate.Therefore, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our benefactors, most sincerely, for their kindness and their generosity. 

“If it wasn’t for their kindness and generosity then not only would 113 pensioners have shivered throughout the winter of 2018/19, but many more would have also shivered through previous winters since we began operating the fund in 2013/14.”

“Our fund paid out £15,356.23 in that six-month period from 1 November 2018 until 30 April 2019. And whilst we’re on the subject of money, our fingers are tightly crossed that we receive enough money, via donations over the coming months, to ensure we have sufficient funds ‘in the pot’ to be able to operate our Fuel Fund again next winter."