Black elders will miss out on free cash Black In Britain.

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BLACK SENIORS WILL MISS OUT ON FREE CASH
OLDER PEOPLE 07 APRIL 08 THE LIVES AND WELL-BEING of 26 per cent of older Britons living in poverty is at risk following funding cuts to advice services says Age Concern. Cuts in local government funding to its information, advice and advocacy services to elders in Black areas means people will miss out on vital free cash (benefits). Last year its services helped secure £100 million for older people. Age Concern this week launched a campaign; The price of no advice and a report Transforming Lives; to highlight the impact the cuts are likely to have. Already it mean 480,000 people who use charity looking for support risk either not being helped or receiving a less the adequate service.
Age Concern director general Gordon Lishman said: “Many older Black people prefer to receive help through face-to-face benefits advice through local organisations that they trust. It beggars belief that huge cuts in information and advice services are being allowed to place the health, well-being and dignity of so many older people at risk.” The cuts come at a time when older people on low fixed incomes have been hit by massive price hikes and will miss out further by not being able to claim their share of up to £4.6 billion in benefits they need to meet their living costs. The reasons older people don't always claim the cash support they're entitled to includes not knowing that they're eligible, the complex forms, not wanting to share details of personal circumstances and previous bad experiences. Those helped by Age Concern say that extra cash the organisation's schemes have helped them claim is spent domestically on food, fuel, clothes and Council Tax. MORE>>
Facts & numbers
26%	the amount of older Black people living in poverty
60%	the amount of older not claiming benefit entitlement
£1,352	the average amount 1.7 million older people are missing out on in pension credits


Useful links
Black and minority ethnic elders
Age Concern
Leeds Black Elders Association