GCRE Service 5

General
General

GCRE ...

Co-ordinates and develops policy for the ethnic elderly.

Organises Seminars and Conferences aimed at various issues of public concern and public education.

Advises on Homelessness, Housing and other Welfare Benefits.

Assists in translation and interpretation when required.

Ethnic Minority Elderly Service

The service aims to, ensure that voices of older people from BME communities are heard and encouraged; the contributions that they make to society are acknowledged, and, seek ways of ensuring that their needs are met. There are disparities on levels of income and poverty for older people, which affect BME older people disproportionately. We have been campaigning with local and national organisations, on pensions and minimum income guarantee (MIG) to reduce pensioners poverty.

Age Exchange in partnership with GCRE received funding from Community Fund to record life stories of BME older people in the London Borough of Greenwich and to produce materials for workshops with people who suffer with memory problems and dementia. This is an exciting project where 1.5 full-time equivalent workers are appointed to work with African, Asian, Caribbean, and Chinese/Vietnamese and Somalian communities. The project will produce and acknowledge the contribution made by BME older people to society.

Saheli Group

The group has had many professionals giving talks, and they also went on outings to the seaside in summer 2002, and future outings have been organised in partnership with BME luncheon clubs for 2003. On 21st January 2003 the London Electricity Board came and gave a talk about energy saving grants and 110 older Asian people attended the meeting. 410 BME older people were given 4 energy saving light bulbs to each household, and information on grants for boilers, central heating and other energy saving equipment, were also given.

Minibus

The minibus is providing transport to older people from the Asian, and Chinese/Vietnamese community. There is a long waiting list for Saheli group and Sehmi Day Centre. We are unable to meet the demand.

Day Centres and Religious Institutions

The outreach advice sessions are given at 6 Centres where GCRE takes casework on Welfare Rights, Health, Housing, Social Services and transport. Our service continues to deliver an extensive range of capacity building, and support BME older peoples groups with in-depth programmes and advice and information on fund raising/help with grant applications/organisational development, help with business and service planning.

We are organising, in partnership with Age Concern London, a training for BME Management Committee members on management and their role in the organisation.

Casework

This service takes 16-20 hours per week of time in filling lengthy Disability and Income Support forms and acting on users behalf. In 186 cases ranging from Income Support to Renovation grants we were able to secure £519,859.90p for our clients, majority were for Income Support, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Housing Benefit and Incapacity Benefit.

Benefit Agency

GCRE has been attending the meetings with Benefit Agency and have discussed many problems the BME older people face with the Benefit Agency. The Department of Works and Pension (DWP) has been moved to Dundee – Scotland. We are in negotiation with DWP local branch to hold surgery at the GCRE office for all BME older people.

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