Sponsor #TeamCHAC as we take to the streets for the London Legal Walk 2023!

The team at Canterbury Housing Advice Centre (CHAC) will be taking to the streets on Tuesday 13 June for this year’s 10km London Legal Walk. We’ll be raising funds for CHAC, one of many front line free advice agencies being supported by the annual event.

CHAC provides free, confidential and independent advice on housing matters in the Canterbury District with the aim of preventing homelessness.

Our team so far includes: Chloe McDonald, Viv Gambling, John Wightman and Nick Jackson. Ex-Chair Nick Piska has regrettably had to pull out but we’re hoping to be walking alongside colleagues from Canterbury Housing Outreach. Do join us if you can!

We will also be walking with the Lord Chief Justice and thousands of lawyers - the London Legal Walk is the biggest fundraising event in aid of free legal advice and support for everything from Law Centres and Citizens Advice services to refugee specialist support services. 

Over 13.4 million people live in poverty in the UK and advice providers are at breaking point with the growing need from their clients. Many people cannot afford legal help and we believe everybody should be able to receive legal advice when they need it most.

The London Legal Walk raises vital funds to ensure that legal help reaches our community's most vulnerable people. Receiving good legal advice at the right time can make a huge difference to people's lives reducing their chances of facing debt, poverty, homelessness, exploitation and discrimination.

The event supports over 100 legal advice agencies in London and the South East. We know that these agencies do a fantastic job in changing people's lives.

Your support is needed more than ever. Please sponsor our walkers as generously as you are able: Donate online via our page on the the London Legal Walk 2023 website

Thank you for supporting our team in fundraising for the London Legal Walk!

Poverty in Canterbury Today

‘Poverty in Canterbury Today’ is a new report documenting the nature and extent of poverty in the Canterbury district.

The aim of the study was to gather evidence about the lived experience of poverty, to draw together data about patterns of poverty and to make recommendations for actions to alleviate hardship and reduce the numbers of people living in poverty in the district.

CHAC’s work - providing help and advice to people who have housing problems or who are at risk of becoming homeless - is referenced on pages 21 and 22 of the report, accompanied by three case studies drawn from CHAC’s most recent Annual Report.

Visit our page on Housing and Homelessness in Canterbury for more details.

Newly released possession statistics suggest a ‘significant wave of homelessness’ is approaching

Ministry of Justice (MOJ) national figures for April to June 2022 show possession cases brought by both landlords and banks have surged. The MOJ says the number of landlord possession claims against tenants has increased from 6,997 to 18,201, possession orders from 5,431 to 14,319, bailiffs’ warrants from 3,786 to 7,728 and evictions from 1,582 to 4,900. Claims by banks enforcing mortgages have also increased, with possession claims rising from 2,499 to 3,476, possession orders from 400 to 2,382, bailiffs’ warrants from 525 to 2,419 and evictions from 45 to 770.

As the number of landlord and mortgage claims continues to rise, the need for proper access to advice and representation remains crucial. At Canterbury Housing Advice Centre (CHAC), we have already experienced an increase in demand for our support. April to June 2022 was our busiest period ever, with help and advice provided to 817 people in the Canterbury District. That’s 131 more people who came to us for help than in the same period last year (686).

 In fact, the number of people seeking support from CHAC has been on the rise since last autumn:

• 745 people sought our help and advice in the period October to December 2021

• 767 people sought our help and advice in the period January to March 2022

CHAC prevents homelessness by supporting people to maintain their accommodation and stopping them from being evicted. We do this through advice and representation, and by negotiating with landlords in order to try to resolve problems such as rent and mortgage arrears. Where it is not possible to prevent evictions, we assist people to find alternative accommodation in private rented or social housing. The earlier that people contact us about their housing problems the better the range of outcomes we can achieve.

The work we do preventing homelessness is crucially important but does require ongoing funding in order to continue our essential work.

Learn more about our work by reading some of our clients’ stories.

Learn more about supporting our work (including by making a donation, hosting an event or volunteering).

Grants from Kent Community Foundation provide welcome boost for CHAC

CHAC’s work in preventing homelessness in the Canterbury district has been given a welcome boost thanks to two grants totalling almost £9k from Kent Community Foundation.

The grants will help CHAC meet its staff costs for the coming year, enabling the CHAC team to continue delivering an important service within the community.

 CHAC Manager Paul Wilkinson said: ‘The primary aim of CHAC's service is preventing vulnerable local residents from becoming homelessness. The secondary aim of our work is reducing poverty and improving the wellbeing of people. Homelessness and/or poverty or disadvantage and/or social or financial exclusion have a large impact on the physical, emotional, mental health and wellbeing of people. Our work prevents homelessness and significantly reduces stress and anxiety and increases wellbeing in our service users.’

 The team at CHAC are grateful for the generous support of The Lawson Endowment Fund, and The Auston Trust Fund, both of which are administered by Kent Community Foundation.

About Kent Community Foundation

Grant-maker Kent Community Foundation has been finding, funding, and supporting some of the smallest voluntary organisations in the county for twenty years. In this time, it has distributed over £50 million to support thousands of small charities and deserving causes where a modest sum of money can make a significant impact.

 They are part of a UK wide accredited network of forty-seven Community Foundations who are committed to improving the lives of local people and communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged by matching those who want to help, with those who need the help.

 Responsible for more than eighty philanthropic funds, Kent Community Foundation is unrivalled in its knowledge of local causes and assists individuals, families, and businesses, who want to help, to establish and administer their own charitable funds.

 About CHAC

 CHAC provides a free, confidential, independent and impartial advice service on a wide range of housing issues and problems including homelessness, accessing accommodation in the public, private and voluntary sectors, repossession, landlord/tenant issues, and housing benefit. We also assist those who become (or are about to become) homeless to access alternative accommodation.

Job opportunity at CHAC: housing adviser

We’re seeking a new housing adviser to join our team helping prevent homelessness.

With the removal of safeguards provided to renters during coronavirus, and the rising cost of living, we are anticipating an increase in the number of housing advice inquiries, particularly from those unable to pay their rent. We’re looking for those with experience in the provision of housing advice to join our dedicated and passionate team.

If you’ve got experience in housing advice, and you’d like to help us prevent homelessness, then this may be the job for you!

Please see the full job description HERE for further details, including how to apply. Please contact Paul Wilkinson with any questions or inquiries about this position. Applications close 28 March at 5pm.

Trustee Paul Wrynne steps down

Paul Wrynne

We’re sorry to announce that Paul Wrynne has decided to step down as a trustee. Paul joined CHAC in September 2019, bringing with him a wealth of experience in fundraising in local non-profit organisations and from his MA in philanthropy. During his time Paul helped with a number of fundraising initiatives which helped keep CHAC providing free confidential housing advice. We wish Paul all the best for the future.

Unlocking update plus a couple of fundraising events

A few bits of ‘news’, but we’ll try to keep it short.

Unlocking at CHAC - update on opening hours

We’re pleased to say that we’re back seeing people face-to-face in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable. Our Canterbury office is now open again 10am-2pm Monday to Friday. While it is open for drop-ins, we still strongly recommend booking an appointment in advance as the drop-in is subject to staff availability and ensuring the waiting room is not crowded.

Our Herne Bay advice sessions have resumed Thursdays 10am-12noon (at Citizens Advice), but remain by advance booking only. Our Whitstable advice sessions are now available for drop-ins, 1pm-3pm (Whitstable Umbrella Centre), although advance booking is preferable.

More information can be found here.

30 for CHAC

CHAC has now been offering free, independent, confidential housing advice for thirty years!! That’s 30 years of preventing homelessness in the Canterbury District! So we thought we’d celebrate by doing our own little sponsored event, which we’re calling 30 for CHAC - anyone can get involved, it just involves doing something ‘30’ related for CHAC, getting sponsored, and donating the money to us via our donations page (securely operated by CAF donate).

One such event has been organised by trustee Nick Jackson, a sponsored 30 mile bike ride from University of Kent to Margate, with CHAC Chair Nick Piska and some friends of CHAC forming the peloton - please sponsor them via our donations page (securely operated by CAF donate).

Find more information here.

London Legal Walk 2021

And finally TeamCHAC walks again in the London Legal Support Trust’s annual fundraiser, the London Legal Walk. LLST is a great supporter of free legal advice services, and CHAC has had amazing support from them (and is indeed a LSST Centre of Excellence), so we’re delighted to be supporting the LLST by sending manager Paul Wilkinson and trustees Viv Gambling, Tessa O’Sullivan and Nick Piska to walk the walk. Please sponsor them here.

'Unlocking' update - CHAC open to face-to-face meetings again in Canterbury and Whitstable

With the easing of lockdown 3.0, CHAC is again cautiously re-opening to face-to-face meetings at our Canterbury office (weekdays) and our Thursday 1-3pm Whitstable outreach. Our Herne Bay outreach remains closed for the time being, but will re-open as soon as possible.

As with the first re-opening, in order to keep our staff, volunteers and the public safe these meetings are by advance appointment only. We have protective screens in place along with other protective measures. Clients are asked to wear a protective mask (unless exempt) to ensure the safety of all. In the first instance we will endeavour to provide all necessary advice by phone or email, with face-to-face meetings a last resort. Remote meetings may also possible for those unable to attend the Canterbury office. To arrange a meeting call us on 01227 762605 or email adviceteam@chac.co.uk

While the ban on evictions continues until the 31 May, if you or someone you know is facing eviction, for example because of a build up of rent arrears, don’t wait until June - contact us now! We provide free, confidential advice and can help prevent eviction - the earlier you contact us the better.

Lockdown 3.0 update

Although we remain closed to face-to-face meetings and advice sessions, CHAC is available for housing advice remotely - by phone, by email and even Zoom! If you are threatened with eviction, have rent or mortgage arrears or any other housing inquiries, please contact us on 01227 762605 or email adviceteam@chac.co.uk.

Lockdown 2.0 update

Unfortunately in light of the November lockdown we’ve had to close our Canterbury office to face-to-face meetings and suspend our Herne Bay and Whitstable housing advice sessions from 5 November until further notice.

However, CHAC is still providing housing advice remotely - by phone, by email and even Zoom! This is an essential as possession proceedings have not been suspended. If you are threatened with eviction, have rent or mortgage arrears or any other housing inquiries, please contact us on 01227 762605 or email adviceteam@chac.co.uk.