Setting up a register of free tradesmen for the struggling elderly

fordcapri2000

I often work closely within the construction industry and have many contacts in the way of business owners and highly skilled tradesmen. For a while now I have been a little bothered about how aged vulnerable people, sometimes disabled are paying out money they can ill afford to have small jobs done around their homes.

Only today I met a lovely 75 year old lady on her own who has breathing problems and arthritis in her hands. She occasionally needs to move furniture or change light bulbs, something so easy yet she is unable to do it herself. So she is having to pay someone to come around and do this for her. I am not suggesting anyone is ripping her off, we all need to make a living, but these are jobs someone with a few hours spare could do once in a while.

I have a few elderly customers myself who I will do the odd free job for, I just cannot find it in me to charge for some of these jobs where they are just unlucky in that they might not have family to do it for them, so they have to pay. I am not talking electrical rewires here or kitchen replacements, just light shades that need replacing, a rad that needs bleeding, or a shelf putting up.

I have been in touch with Age UK, not over helpful, but early days yet. I would like to set up a register or database of tradesmen who are willing to say give up a day or even half day per month for free to offer their skills to help those who cannot do those little jobs themselves, even a few hours a month could be such a help to someone.

I really do not have much of a clue how I am even going to start with this. At the moment I have chatted to a few trades people and made a few calls.
If anyone has any advice they can give me I would be most grateful.

Thanks

InsideInsurance

There are a lot of potential pitfalls if you got some unscrupulous trademen into your database - people doing the job and then trying to charge, doing one job for free and then trying to get other paid work from the elderly person.

As this is aimed at vunerable adults do they all need to have CRB/DBS checks? If so who is going to sponsor them and pay for it?

Assuming demand out strips supply then how do you prioritize?

How do you the potential users find out about the service?

None of these are insurmountable but it will require a fair amount of thinking about

IronWolf

My first thought was charities, I work with a small one and this sort of thing would be right up our street. But the problem is its hard to get people aware of you and how to ask you for help. So you might want to start off just with finding local charities that do this sort of thing and let people have their contact details.

PlutoinCapricorn

My local council offers free handyman services to older people, so others could well do this too.

SailorSam

When i was a volunteer for VS we use to talk to the police a lot to see could they keep their eye on old people who were having trouble with scallies. I remember one old lady the yobs had broken her fence down and messed up her garden. When i told the Sergeant at the at the nearest station he said he'd get the trainee bobbies down to fix it, all part of them learning to work in the community.

Mistral001

I think you need to decide whether this is going to be a charity or a business.

paddyrg

I think it's a lovely idea, but wouldn't want to set it up myself - you're putting yourself in trouble's way. Instead it might be better to find either someone in your local council, Age UK, CAB branch, whatever who'd do the 'fronting' for you including the DBS checks, prioritisation, be a trusted face, etc. For your part, you could lobby your contacts to volunteer and to get them to lobby their contacts too.

Pennywise

And how do you police it against those who have the funds to spend but just want a job doing as a freebie because they're tight? You'd need to have some kind of "means testing" to make sure that they really were in need, such as checking that they're in receipt of pension credits etc.

fordcapri2000

InsideInsurance wrote: »

There are a lot of potential pitfalls if you got some unscrupulous trademen into your database - people doing the job and then trying to charge, doing one job for free and then trying to get other paid work from the elderly person.

As this is aimed at vunerable adults do they all need to have CRB/DBS checks? If so who is going to sponsor them and pay for it?

Assuming demand out strips supply then how do you prioritize?

How do you the potential users find out about the service?

None of these are insurmountable but it will require a fair amount of thinking about

I was thinking that age concern or Age UK could decide who is worthy for help and then contact me, of course all tradesmen would be vetted and CRB checked.

At the end of the day old people can be manipulative and greedy as well, some could well have plenty of money to pay their own way:)

I remember years ago walking away from a job with a homemade apple pie and a fiver because the pensioner pleaded povety, it was only weeks later I thought HOLD ON! she lived in a grand house in the best part of town.

fordcapri2000

paddyrg wrote: »

I think it's a lovely idea, but wouldn't want to set it up myself - you're putting yourself in trouble's way. Instead it might be better to find either someone in your local council, Age UK, CAB branch, whatever who'd do the 'fronting' for you including the DBS checks, prioritisation, be a trusted face, etc. For your part, you could lobby your contacts to volunteer and to get them to lobby their contacts too.

That's sort of my way of thinking until I am corrected.. I can put quite a few tradesmen willing to offer their services for free for a short time, and I am certain I could get a lot more with putting a few posters up in trade wholesalers.

Another big plus about this is, like I said I know many tradesmen, and with the very very odd exception these guys are above decent., I would love to see the positive side shown. You can watch these TV programs and read media stuff about rip off's, but the reality is that when there is a rip off 90% of the time it's the tradesmen being ripped off.

I have a few old codgers who I personally keep an eye on, some abuse it sometimes :-) .. but it usually light bulb stuff or a washer in the tap etc, and quite often they love to make you a cuppa and have a chat.

Today was the final straw for me, I had a lovely chat with this lady over a cuppa, and asked her directly would a service like this help, she gave me a big fat yes.

Mojisola

Our AgeUK group already runs a handyman service - qualified, checked workman who do jobs for a very small price.

Perhaps you could act as a go-between for tradesmen who would be happy to do this work for free and AgeUK or the council?