BHT Sussex 2024
My Story
Thank you for supporting the BHT Sussex team for the Hastings Legal Walk 2024.
We are participating in a sponsored 10km walk on Wednesday 25th September to raise funds for advice agencies in Brighton & Hove. We have been a part of these walks for years to raise much needed awareness and funds for the amazing work that advice services do across the South East.
In the year to March 2024, our services advised 2,333 people and prevented homelessness for 820 people and their families. One such family was Kayla and Sam, and their baby.
Kayla and Sam are a young couple who approached BHT Sussex for help as their landlord was attempting to evict them on account of rent arrears of over £12,000. The couple lived with their young baby in a basement flat and their home was full of mould and damp conditions.
They explained to one of our solicitors that despite contacting the landlord for help, he had refused to do their necessary repairs because of the arrears. The arrears had built up so much because the landlord had failed to provide a copy of the written tenancy agreement when Kayla and Sam moved in, meaning they could not claim help for housing costs from Universal Credit.
We helped the couple apply for Legal Aid and helped the family to apply for compensation for the damp conditions, and for a back payment of Universal Credit with the necessary evidence of the tenancy agreement. This led to a back payment of £6,000 which reduced the arrears by half.
We then assisted in helping Kayla and Sam claim damages which paid off the rest of their arrears. As a result, we were able to negotiate a settlement for the proceedings to come to an end and for the repair works to be undertaken.
Kayla and Sam were eventually rehomed as they were understandably not keen to remain in the property.
There are many marginalised people, in the local area, like Kayla and Sam, who rely on help from our Legal Aid service.
Please sponsor our walkers as generously as you are able, so we can continue helping people like Kayla and Sam.
Thank you for your support.