An age old problem

Pensioner poverty has been an annoying mosquito that the government has failed to swat for the whole of the current administration’s tenure.

There has been consistent failure to tackle the problem head on and we have reached the end of the first decade of the 21st century with the shaming statistic that UK pensioners are the fourth poorest in Europe.

Despite some favourable changes to the benefits system, it is complex and confusing to many. Add some stigma, and no wonder there is still an underlying reluctance on the part of some older people to pick up the benefits they are entitled to.

Housing 21’s report into the issue A world of difference, published on Monday, estimates this unclaimed pot of money to be £5 billion a year. Shameful indeed, when so many older people are poor. We need the government to treat this problem seriously, and come up with serious solutions.

In the meantime, few of us would disagree that the provision of suitable housing goes beyond the building itself. When it comes to generating income, housing providers should be stepping into the breach and help residents access the benefits they are entitled to, whether that’s through specialist advice or training frontline staff to point people towards help.

Benefit levels are hardly generous, but an increase of even £10 or £20 per week can make a real difference to a person’s day to day experience.

Increasing someone’s income allows them to become more independent, decreases the demand for frontline services from hard-pressed providers and allows people to take a more active part in the community they live in - principles all social landlords seek to support.

If we don’t do it, who will? With the best will in the world, government wheels move slowly and the policy backdrop is changing. For those of us working in the older people’s field, the sabre rattling by policy makers around absorbing attendance allowance - a benefit to help disabled people over 65 with personal care such as washing and eating - into the funding for a new national care service is a sobering thought.

Many older people who could be affected by this wouldn’t qualify for social care services, and might end up falling through a gap that attendance allowance currently fills. Such a short sighted approach will inevitably lead some older people and their families into crisis.

Government action is required, of that there is no doubt. But social landlords can and do have a role to play when it comes to supporting tenants to take up benefits. If we don’t pick up the challenge, we’ll end up having to pick up the pieces.

Lynne Davey is a welfare benefits manager at Housing 21