BHCAC's Annual Report 2022 (Bosnian-Serbo-Croat), available here 

BHCAC's Annual Report 2021, available here

BHCAC's Annual Report 2020, available here 

 

BENEFICIARIS STORIES

These stories provide an insight on what we do and how we improve the lives of disadvantaged and marginalised people

 

Osman's Story-case completed July 2022

Osman (not his real name) is a 55-year-old, self-employed, Brent resident who lives with his 13-year-old son. Osman is a British national of Afghan origin.  

Osman’s son joined him in the UK in August 2021 from Afghanistan when the Taliban took over the government. After his son’s arrival, Osman had to reduce his work hours and move into a two-bedroom flat, as a result of which Osman found it difficult to cope financially as his monthly earning were £911.08 and the cost of rent for a two-bedroom flat is at £1650.  

Osman approached Brent Hubs triage service at Harlesden library for advice about welfare benefit entitlements. Osman was assigned to Bosnia and Herzegovina Community Advice Centre (BHCAC) Caseworker, delivering BHCAC’s Outreach Welfare Benefits Advice sessions, at the Harlesden library.  BHCAC’s Caseworker carried out a welfare benefits assessment and advised Osman that he was entitled to Universal Credit and Council Tax Support. As Osman lacked digital skills and needed support with claims, BHCAC’s Caseworker arranged an appointment with its colleague Benefits Advisor at BHCAC’s premises.  

BHCAC’s Benefits Advisor assisted Osman with the claims and provided; an induction to online account management, as well as ongoing digital support (over a period of six weeks) with managing his online accounts in respect of the claims.  

As Osman’s income was not sufficient to meet their everyday needs, the BHCAC Benefits Advisor referred him to Sufra Food Bank for emergency food parcels until receipt of his first Universal Credit payment.  Additional needs for Osman and his son were identified, namely, immigration advice service for Osman’s son (BHCAC Benefits Advisor made a referral to Afghan Association Paiwand), as well as follow up on school application, as Osman’s son was waiting for a school place.  

After 5 weeks, Osman was initially only awarded the standard allowance of Universal Credit and refused both the housing and child elements of Universal Credit. The DWP alleged that Osman did not provide sufficient evidence of his housing costs and that his son had no immigration status so could not be claimed for. BHCAC’s Benefits Advisor passed the case back to BHCAC’s Caseworker.  

BHCAC Caseworker submitted a request for a mandatory reconsideration providing extensive evidence and referencing government regulations regarding Afghani refugees. Caseworker also assisted Osman to provide necessary evidence of housing costs. After several weeks Osman received a mandatory reconsideration notice conceding he was eligible for both housing and child elements back to the start of the claim, a period of four months. Osman received a backdated payment of £7,489.96 or £1872.49 (£1589.99 towards housing cost and £282.50 for child element) for each of the four months.  

Claim for Council Tax Support was successful, and Osman was awarded £363.01 for a year. After several emails by BHCAC Benefits Advisor, and interview, Osman’s son was finally offered a place at a local school. Results of Afghan Association Paiwan’s immigration advice and assistance resulted in Osman’s son obtaining Indefinitive Leave to Remain in the UK.  

Osman’s Universal Credit entitlement going forward is £1880.49 per month.  

Furthermore, BHCAC Caseworker’s helped Osman claim a £150 Council Tax Rebate and worked with Brent Hubs Advisor to ensure that Osman’s son got extra tuition to improve his English language skills. 

With the support from BHCAC, Osman was able to secure his entitlements, increase monthly income and access specialist immigration service and additional support i.e., emergency food parcels and school tuition for his son. The BHCAC Benefits Advisor induction on managing online accounts was particularly important for Osman as he was able to better understand what is, a relatively complex benefit system, and learn how to manage his online accounts resulting in increased independence.  

Osman said that he is very happy with the support he received and the outcomes and feels secure and safe that he has the means to cover the costs of living. He is particularly happy that his son started school and is receiving extra tuition support which will enable him to settle into the new school faster.  

Osman was grateful for all the support received from BHCAC, Sufra Food Bank, Afghan Association Painwand and Brent Hubs. 

 

Anna’s Story-case completed April 2022

Anna (not her real name) is a 65 year old lady who lives alone. She is a British national and has lived in Brent all of her life. She is a Brent Council tenant who has not been able to work for several years due to ill health.

Anna accessed BHCAC’s Outreach Welfare Benefits Advice session at the Willesden Green library. After a Work Capability Assessment carried out by Universal Credit, she had been informed through her journal that she was fit for work and that she had to seek work 35 hours a week. Anna did not agree with the decision and was very nervous that she would be sanctioned because she would find looking for work full-time to be impossible due to her ill health.

BHCAC Caseworker took the case on and submitted a request for a Mandatory Reconsideration providing the grounds and medical evidence Caseworker believed showed that she was not well enough to work. The Mandatory Reconsideration Notice did not change the original decision and disregarded our grounds. Caseworker firmly, believed this to be incorrect so submitted an appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal requesting that they find that she has Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity.  Caseworker again submitted extensive medical evidence. 

It took about three months to go to Tribunal. During this period BHCAC Caseworker had several meetings and conversations with Anna to support her and advise on how to approach the hearing, including requesting an adjournment when she suffered a bereavement. Caseworker also spoke to her on the day of the hearing to provide additional support and to run through our grounds once again.

The Tribunal allowed the appeal acknowledging that our grounds for appeal were legitimate. She was found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity. This decision was applied from March 2021 to April 2022. As a result, Anna receives an extra £343 per month from Universal Credit and is not required to look for work. She also received a backdated payment of over £4000.

In addition to Caseworker’s work on her Universal Credit appeal, BHCAC also assisted her with an application for Personal Independence Payments. She was awarded the standard rate of the Daily Living Component. She now receives £60 per week and a backdated payment of £1,540.

Anna is very happy with the outcome. She stated that when she came to see BHCAC at Willesden Green library she had very little hope that the DWP decision could be changed and was suffering financial hardship which has been entirely alleviated by the support she received. 

 

Aanan’s Story- case completed December 2021

Aanan (not his real name) is a 51 year old male who lives with his wife and two children. He is of south Asian descent, living in Brent for the last 17 years working as a chef in a restaurant. As part of his employment at the restaurant he was provided with accommodation. 

He approached our outreach service at Willesden Green library. He stated he was leaving his job because of bullying and harassment from his employer. He was extremely anxious because he was losing his income and his home. He had never claimed benefits before and not been homeless.  

Immediately we referred him directly to the Brent Council homelessness team as he was within 56 days of homelessness and we were confident he would be found in priority need because there are children in the household. We assisted him to provide all of the necessary evidence for this application. Brent Council quickly accepted that they had a duty to assist the family and a private rent property was found for them to move into on the day they had to move out of the restaurant. 

Prior to this move, we completed applications for Universal Credit and Council Tax Support. We provided advice on how much the family could expect to receive from these benefits so that they could budget in advance of receiving their first payments. While they were waiting for the first Universal Credit payment, we referred them to Sufra food bank to provide up to 6 food parcels so that the family had enough during this transition. 

Initially, when the Universal Credit claim was assessed there were no housing or child elements included in the calculation. We appealed this decision and this was quickly changed so that they are receiving £1,232 per month. Council Tax Support was also successfully awarded. 

Aanan and his family are now pleased to be settled in their new home and are very grateful for the support they received.  

 

Zac’s Story-case completed November 2021

Zac (not his real name) is a single, 41-year-old British citizen of Somalian origin, living in social-housing in Brent.

Although Zac has made great effort to learn English, he has not had any formal lessons and therefore relies on assistance from friends, charities, and Brent Council staff to assist him. In addition to the language barrier, Zac also lacks digital skills which prevent him from making online claims and engaging with and/or using online services.

Although, initially, Zac did not have any serious health issues, this changed when he lost his zero-hour contracted job in July 2021 (sorting out mail) for Royal Mail following COVID-19. This inevitably resulted in accumulating rent arrears, inability to pay bills and worrying about affording daily necessities. Essentially, Zac experienced great financial hardship which was exacerbated when he received notice seeking possession from his landlord. All of which took a toll on Zac’s mental health, which lead to constant and prolonged low moods and depression.

Zac visited Brent Hubs at Willesden Green library in hope of receiving help. Brent Hubs referred Zac to Bosnia and Herzegovina Community Advice Centre (BHCAC), where BHCAC Advisor carried out a holistic assessment of Zac’s situation, analysed each issue by looking at Zac’s health, welfare, and personal development needs. Using the holistic approach, the BHCAC Advisor was able to form a tailored action plan to address each concern individually.

Zac came to BHCAC with no knowledge or awareness of which benefits he was eligible for nor how to claim them. The BHCAC Advisor assisted him by informing him of his rights and entitlements and in doing so, the BHCAC Advisor assisted Zac by:

  1. making a claim Universal Credit;
  2. making a claim for Resident Support Fund;
  3. making a claim for Council Tax Support;
  4. applying for food parcels from Suffra Food Bank;
  5. advising Zac to enrol on the Smart Phone Skills Course;
  6. making a referral to Brent Start to enrol Zac on English as a Second Language Course (ESOL) and any additional Digital courses Brent Start may be able to offer; and
  7. creating an e-mail account that Zac can access.

As a direct result of the BHCAC Advisor’s input and assistance, Zac benefited from:

  1. Universal Credit award of £489 rent to be paid to Zac’s landlord and £212 per month for Zac to live on.
  2. Resident Support Fund award of £2,745.55 consisting of £1,844.85 to cover rent arrears and £900.70 for food, utility, and winter clothing.
  3. Council Tax Support award of £19.49 per week.
  4. Six free emergency food parcels from Suffra Food Bank.
  5. Successful completion of the Digital Technology Course.
  6. Access to an email account which Zac can use to communicate.

The successful outcomes listed above mean Zac will get the financial help he needs, experience less stress and anxiety, have increased independence, better understanding of his rights and entitlements and experience improvement in mental health and overall quality of life.

By attending the Smart Phone Skills course held at the BHCAC centre and enrolling on ESOL course, Zac will further develop his knowledge and skills, increase his self-confidence to take the lead in technological aspects of his life all of which will allow him to be more independent and make it easier to access Council’s and voluntary sector specialist services in the future.

Zac was always grateful for BHCAC’s services and never missed an opportunity to say thank you!

 

Leanna’s Story - case completed June 2020

Leanna (not her real name) is a non-European national in her thirties with limited English-speaking skills, she moved to the UK with her two young children in 2016 to live with her husband who was already living in the UK.

Leanna’s husband was the sole financial provider in the household and worked full time in a central London hotel as a chef. Although working full-time Leanna’s husband was still on a low income having to claim Universal Credit, Council Tax Support and Child Benefit to support the family. Leanna was first referred to BHCAC when her husband passed away in early April 2020 after contracting Covid-19. As Leanna was financially reliant on her husband, she was worried about how she would provide for her children going forward as her late husband was not only the sole provider for the household, but he managed the bills and bank accounts. 

Working on a weekly basis with Leanna and after a full assessment, it became apparent Leanna was receiving food parcel support from Brent Council because she had no recourse to public funds as she entered the UK on a spouse visa. After an initial assessment with Leanna BHCAC Benefits Advisor proceeded by assisting her in informing all relevant agencies of her husband's death, however, Leanna did not know the login details of the Universal Credit account held by her late husband which delayed this process. Leanna had already taken the first step in dealing with her immigration status through a solicitor and submitted a new visa application that would give her access to public funds. However, this was reliant on the client having a visa meeting. The meeting was delayed due to Covid-19.

As Leanna awaited her visa appointment with no access to funds BHCAC Benefits Advisor assisted her by applying for Local Welfare Assistance, which resulted in Leanna receiving a one-off emergency payment of £500. 

BHCAC Benefits Advisor was also able to establish that Leanna was eligible to apply for Bereavement Support and Funeral Support payments and assisted her in applying for the same.  Leanna received £3,500 in a one-off Bereavement Support Payment and £350 a month going forward and is currently awaiting the outcome of the Funeral Support application. 

In addition to the above, BHCAC Benefits Advisor contacted the Child Benefit Office to inform them that Leanna’s husband has sadly passed away and asked that the Child Benefit claim be transferred to Leanna’s name which was completed, and Leanna received a confirmation that she will receive £35 a week in Child Benefit. 

Despite the efforts and successes made on this case, Leanna is still unable to meet the living costs as the new monthly income of £501.66 is simply not enough to cover the costs of rent at £1,100 a month plus bills and food. In light of the fact that the children are British citizens the local authority has an obligation to support them, the case has been referred to the Brent Council Social Services which is working with Leanna to assess what support they may be able to offer. 

Outcome- project specific

Leanna was grateful to receive dedicated support and advice on multiple issues from BHCAC and this is what she said to us: “I simply could not do it without your help, you were there to support me when I needed it the most. God only knows what would happen to me and my children…thank you from bottom of my heart”. Leanna reported increased knowledge about Welfare Benefit Rights and support available, secured entitlements and feels more confident to liaise with government and other support agencies to prevent further problems. 

Welfare Advice Project funded by Brent Advice Fund (Brent Council) part of Brent Advice Partnership.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina Community Advice Centre

Charity Registration Number: 1085815