Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be over 65 years of age
- Applicants can be single people or a couple
- Applicants must be currently living in rented accommodation and preference is given to applicants living in private rented property
- Applicants must be in need of housing
- Applicants must have limited income and savings and be unable to provide for themselves by other means
- Applicants must have permanent resident status in the UK and a National Insurance number
- Applicants must be living within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and have lived there for at least the last two years. (There is limited provision to appoint residents from outside the Borough, at the discretion of the Trustees, if applicants have a strong connection with the borough e.g. a close family member living here. However, we currently cannot accept any applications from residents from outside the Borough as we are already at the limit of the number of residents we are permitted to house from outside the Borough.)
- Applicants must be capable of living independently with the assistance of family and carers if necessary. However, live-in carers are not permitted.
Application Process
- Applicants must have an initial telephone conversation with the charity’s Administrator to assess their eligibility to apply.
- Applicants must complete the Application Form for Almshouse Accommodation and return it to The Richmond Charities Head Office along with all the supporting documentation requested in the form.
- On receipt of your application, we will assess your application on the basis of your existing housing provision, personal factors, alternative prospects and whether you are in urgent and immediate need of rehousing.
- If you are eligible and you have been assessed as being in need, we will contact you to arrange a convenient time for the Chief Executive to visit you at your current accommodation for a first interview, which will involve talking through your personal situation, your finances, your next of kin, your health, medication and how you manage day to day.
- A report is then made to the Trustees and a decision is made whether or not to progress with your application. If the decision is to proceed, then two Trustees will visit you at your home for a second interview to chat about your housing need and the contributions you feel you can make to our community.
- The Trustees will then make a decision about whether to proceed with your application and place you onto the Almshouse Register, subject to satisfactory references. Applicants will also be required to obtain a copy of a credit report from a credit reference agency or The Richmond Charities may be able to do this on behalf of applicants. Applicants on the Register are prioritised in order of need. When an almshouse becomes available, and after a full refurbishment, an offer of accommodation will be made to the applicant on the Register who is deemed to be most in need and, if the accommodation is accepted, the applicant will be appointed as a Beneficiary of the Charity. If the accommodation offered is rejected, one further offer of a different almshouse will be made, when one becomes available. If two offers are rejected, further offers will not be made and the applicant’s name will be removed from the Register.
- Applicants are asked to note that we only have a few vacancies a year. If you have a preference for accommodation at a particular almshouse estate, we can make a note of this but there are no guarantees that we will be able to offer you an almshouse at your preferred location.
- If we are unable to house you, you will be informed as soon as possible and we will try to supply you with information about other housing options open to you.