PASS-UPDATE
Issue 23 Sept/October 2000
Harry
Potter writer rallies for lone parents
JK
Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, donated £500,000
to the cause of one-parent families and launched a fierce
attack on the widespread assumption that most single mothers
are "feckless teenagers trying to get council flats".
Ms
Rowling, 34, has been a lone parent since her marriage broke
up seven years ago. She began her literary career while drawing
benefit, writing in Edinburgh cafes as her daughter Jessica
slept beside her. Last year she was Britain's highest-paid
woman, earning £20.5m from her novels.
In
her first appearance as "ambassador" for the British,
National Council for One Parent Families, she described "feelings
of worthlessness during interviews with the Child Support
Agency and the Benefit Office" in Scotland as she tried
to escape the benefits trap and train as a teacher.
"I
had a degree, a profession and friends who were willing to
lend me money when I badly needed it. So if I met obstacles
pulling myself out of the benefit system, how much more difficult
must it be for people who don't have the same advantages?"
she said.
Ms Rowling's £500,000 donation will almost double the
council's charitable income this year. She is to lead a fundraising
drive to find a further £500,000 from other sources
to give online advice to lone parents on a web site, launched
in October.
The
author said her daughter was a source of pride, joy and motivation.
"I don't want her to grow up in a society where children
just
like her are trapped in poverty because they have had the misfortune
to see their parents split up.
"It
is convenient to look right over these children's heads at the
parent left raising them and place blame, rather than seeing
the reality: somebody striving, in the face of great odds, to
give their children every opportunity they can."
Only
3% of Britain's 1.7m lone parents were teenagers, while 60%
had been married and separated, divorced or bereaved.
"Seven
years after becoming a lone parent, I feel qualified to look
anyone in the eye and say that people bringing up children single-handedly
deserve, not condemnation, but congratulation," she said.
"There are still about a million children living in poverty
so obviously a great deal more needs to be done."
OPEN AGM
The Annual General Members Meeting of One Parent Exchange &
Network will take place on November 24th in Dublin.
Lone Parent Groups will attend from every corner of Ireland.
PASS will be putting three resolutions to the AGM concerning,
the Amending the Constitution to recognise the diversity of
family forms, the growth and expansion of OPEN membership and
Developing OPEN policy on lone parent men. PASS has been involved
in OPEN for a number of years and was represented by Lucy Dempsey
on their management
Stella Clarke and John O'Neill will be the delegates representing
PASS and a report will be printed in our November Update. PASS
have also nominated John to run for a position on OPEN's Management
Committee
Affordable
Housing scheme
The Affordable housing Scheme was launched on the 2nd of March
1999. Under the terms of the scheme, local authorities, like
Dublin Corporation, provide additional houses on land made available
to them where house prices have become so expensive that most
cannot afford them. The houses will be offered for sale to eligible
purchasers at cost price. They will also be offered mortgage
finance at favourable interest rates.
To be eligible you must fit the following criteria
In need of housing and fit the income test (see bottom of column)
Or
A person whose application for local authority housing has been
approved
Or
A local authority tenant or tenant purchaser for more than one
year who wishes to buy a private house and return your present
house to the local authority
Or
A tenant for more than one year of a house provided by a voluntary
body under the Rental Subsidy Scheme
Income
Test
Single Income Household -
A gross (before tax) income of £25.000.00
Two Income Household-
Is a formula based on two and a half times the annual gross
(before tax) income of the partner with the highest income and
the annual gross income of the other earner added together does
not exceed £62,500.00
For Example
Couple Ann & Tom
Ann earns £12,500.00
Tom Earns £11,000.00
For this example Ann has the highest income, so her income is
multiplied by 2.5.
£12,500.00
x2.5
£31,250.00
Tom's gross earnings for a year are then added
£31,250.00
+£11,000.00
£42,000.00
So Tom and Ann are eligible for the scheme as their joint earnings
are below the ceiling, £62,500.
What
type of house is available?
Houses under the scheme must comply with building standards
and will be specified for the £3,000.00 new house grant.
Dublin Corporation will advertise in the press when houses are
available under the scheme. When the demand for houses under
the scheme exceeds the the number of houses available of houses
for sale the order of priority will be decided by the Corporation
who will take into account the circumstances of the households
and prioritise those in greatest need.
Purchase
of house
The Corporation will provide loans over a 25 year term. Subsidies
may be available to households, depending on circumstances i.e.
a gross income of £20,000.00. Subsidies may also be available
to households surrendering their corporation dwelling.
Can
I resell my "affordable house"?
If a house purchased under the scheme is re-sold within 20 years,
the person will have to repay the corporation out of the proceeds
of the sale an amount equal to a percentage of the proceeds.
No repayment would be required on resale of a house after 20
years
D
I S C L A I M E R
Whilst
every effort has been made to outline the Affordable Housing
Scheme accurately, PASS do not accept any liability for any
errors contained within. Persons interested in the Affordable
Housing Scheme should contact the Corporation or the relevant
housing authority.
PASS
draft first 3 year plan
PASS has completed its first draft of a 3-year plan for submission
to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. The
plan outlines the work that we propose to do for the period
of funding and will allow PASS to recruit staff on a more permanent
basis.
UPDATE
IS PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY PASS
3 Main Street, Finglas, Dublin 11.
Telephone 8643342. passltd@eircom.net
FAS, the EU and the Irish Government fund PASS. The views expressed
in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of FAS or any
other sponsor.
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