About the Project

The recent changes to the housing benefit mean that in January 2012, many families will be forced to move to cheaper areas. We propose to offer practical help to these families to ensure they integrate into their new communities and access all their rights.

The help that will be provided

We hope to recruit local volunteers where the families will be moving to. They will help the families:

• access all appropriate benefits from the beginning of a tenancy
• access all relevant household utilities such as electricty, gas, water, council tax etc
• register with a local doctor
• find places in suitable schools
• integrating with the local community by introducing them to local community groups

Who will be helped?

The project will help people like Jane (not her real name), a single mother who is self-employed but on a low income, who has been living in Westminster for several years. Her income is so low that she is entitled to housing benefit which is about to be cut to make her present rent unaffordable. She will need practical assistance in moving her belongings and furniture and helping to find and enrol her child into  a new school. While some of us may have the means to hire removers or rent a van, or have friends who can provide such assistance, she does not have any of these resources. She will have to rely on public transport which will be very difficult and every day that she is not working, is a day she is not earning.

At the new home, she will be away from family and friends, and may have difficulty getting to work with her existing customers. Any changes in her income mean she has to reapply for benefits which she will have to do in the new area. Connecting her with the right people will ensure that she and her child integrate with the local community, and make a new support network.

How you can be involved

We are currently raising funds so we can kick-start this project. If you would like to be involved, please email Lilian Lee (admin@z2k.org).