Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Residents resist £50 monthly warden costs
RESIDENTS at a sheltered housing complex are furious after being asked to pay for their warden service out of their own pockets.
Tenants at The Waverley, in Dundas Street, Broughty Ferry, are frustrated after a meeting between Hillcrest Housing Association and Dundee City Council failed to find a solution to a long-standing funding gap.
The authority announced in October it was removing funding for sheltered housing residents to cover the cost of the wardens.
But Waverley resident Charlie Bissett, 76, said the suggestion that residents should pay to cover the costs of wardens was “unfair”.
He said: “The withdrawal of that money means residents have to find another £50 a month to pay for a warden.
“For people like myself it means we have to find that money out of our pockets.
“Already my rent is around £295 a month, I pay £50 a month for maintenance costs and now this extra £50 a month means I will be paying almost £400 a month.
“That’s a lot of money to have to find. I know there are other people who are on benefits who will be getting the money paid for them. That just doesn’t seem fair. I had hoped that a meeting with the council and Hillcrest would find a way forward but that hasn’t happened, which is very upsetting.”
A spokesman for Hillcrest said: “We have been in consultation with the residents at our sheltered housing complex in Broughty Ferry since September 2017.
“The goal is to reach an agreement on a new service package that will provide a similar level of service with the least impact on residents. Our proposed service will be delivered at a comparable monthly cost to what residents currently pay.”
A Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership spokesman said: “The changes will give people who require social care and support much more choice and control over how their care and support needs are met.
“Those who live in sheltered housing will have access to housing support in a variety of ways. This includes the Helping Older People Engage service and the Dial Op helpline, which provides a morning call to individuals who require a safety check.”