Partnership with DWP strengthened
Adullam often talks about partnership work and demonstrates it, among other ways, through news of jointly delivered actions or service visits, but collaboration takes place behind the scenes too and delivers brilliant results.
An outstanding recent example comes from the Lifehouse in Stoke. The team identified three tenants whose fraudulent Benefit claims were affecting their Housing Benefit (HB). After noticing that Adullam was not receiving the expected HB payments, Lifehouse staff carried out further investigations.
It transpired that all three tenants were claiming Benefits against other properties whilst also claiming Carer’s Allowance. Although they denied this initially, our Housing Officer Haley Johnson was able to obtain the evidence needed to substantiate the fraud.
The DWP contacted the Lifehouse to advise that the fraudulent claims amounted to approximately £18,000. They explained that, had this not been identified and addressed so quickly, it could have taken up to two years to recover the funds through their normal processes.
As a result of this work, the DWP has now started discussions with the Lifehouse about how they can work together going forward to mitigate the risk of similar cases occurring in the future. This is a significant development, as these types of fraudulent claims present substantial financial risks, not only to the DWP but also to Adullam, particularly given the client group we support.
The three individuals involved attended the DWP the day after their eviction and cancelled their other claims, having realised that the fraudulent activity had affected their ability to secure accommodation.
This is an outstanding outcome. It highlights the positive impact Adullam’s work can have, both financially and in this case in strengthening our partnership with the DWP.
Very deservedly, Haley (pictured left with Lifehouse Property Services & Operations Manager Amanda Stevenson)) was the person who took a phone call from the DWP thanking the Lifehouse for the excellent work that had been done.