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Sheltered housing developments ‘shelved due to benefit cuts’

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Rehousing Advice.
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I think its two different things.

“Local housing allowance rates will not be introduced in the social rented sector for general needs housing until April 2019, and only then where tenancies have been taken out or renewed on or after 1 April 2016; and the tenant’s rent is higher than the Local Housing Allowance rates set for private sector tenants.”

This is for general needs .......social sector tenants

The second refers to supported housing

“On 15 September 2016 the Secretary of State announced a further delay in applying LHA rates in the supported housing sector to 2019/20. At the point of implementation the rates will apply to all supported housing residents in receipt of Housing Benefit”......

 

Daphne
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Thanks Martin - was just updating my post as you posted yours - that’s clarified it - though seems harsh!...

HB Anorak
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Cannot paste link on my phone, but if you search rightsnet news for “LHA Damian” you will find his statement where he says the 2016 thing only applies to HB and of course by then most HB claimants will be pensioners. But in UC they want simple assessment by machine so all general needs social tenants are affected by LHA irrespective of tenancy date. As for pensioners in supported accommodation, who knows. The policy is obviously evolving and it’s difficult to predict exactly how it will end up.  If I was a betting man I would predict that general needs social sector LHA will eventually apply to working age tenants on UC and pensioners only if and when SPC housing credit is ever introduced and that they just won’t bother with HB at all.

HB Anorak
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Here is the link to Damian Green’s statement in November:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-11-21/HCWS273/

This is the most comprehensive ministerial comment I can find.  It covers supported and general needs and says a few words about pensioners too. I’m not sure we should read this as if it were a statute, but the impression you get is:

- 2019 across the board: all ages, both HB and UC, both supported and general needs
- in remaining HB cases, pre-2016 tenancies are still excluded for all age groups in general needs.  When he says “signed before 1/4/16” I would not read anything into that regarding succession or renewal: details like that will have to wait for regulations nearer the time
- but in UC there is no tenancy date cut-off
- the LHA limit applies to all supported housing, probably because the proposed commissioning regime would be unworkable otherwise: providers will bid for contracts based on fixed running costs over a certain period, commissioners will not want to be varying contracts from week to week depending on the mix of post-16/pre-16 service users
- supported housing will be covered by UC: simplifying the benefit rules makes it unnecessary to keep “specified accommodation” out of HB
- reading between the lines I think it might be the end of the bedroom tax, with a simple full rent or LHA assessment, but there I am probably guilty of over-thinking what is still just a future developing policy rather than a set of hard and fast rules at this stage

Rehousing Advice.
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HB Anorak - 15 March 2017 07:08 AM

- the LHA limit applies to all supported housing, probably because the proposed commissioning regime would be unworkable otherwise: providers will bid for contracts based on fixed running costs over a certain period, commissioners will not want to be varying contracts from week to week depending on the mix of post-16/pre-16 service users


You would not need to a weekly variance, there are all sorts of risks in these contracts, the assessment of these risks will just be reflected in specification and bids.

In general terms, I think it is a valid point to advance in the consultation process….... that NO existing tenants are disadvantaged.

Or put another way the case is made that LA top fund is large enough and ring fenced long enough….. to ensure (lets say by either national or local guidance ) that no existing tenants are disadvantaged… This is essential given the much higher levels of vulnerability in supported housing. 

I don’t think that is unreasonable, or unrealistic.

 

 

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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The Government should scrap plans to base rent allowances for supported housing tenants on rates used for claimants in the private rented sector, the Work and Pensions and Communities and Local Government Committees conclude in a joint report on the future of supported housing.

Recommendations and conclusions include:

* The Government should ensure providers are aware that supported housing tenants claiming Universal Credit will not be worse off if they seek employment. A job should be seen as an important milestone towards independence and self-sufficiency.
* The Government should establish a set of national standards to enable monitoring of the quality of provision in all supported housing in England and Wales, with a specific emphasis on improving the quality of life that tenants experience

Haven’t had a chance to read this yet and government cannot respond now until after the election I assume.

Inappropriate to use the Local Housing Allowance rate, says Committee

Rehousing Advice.
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Timetable problems…

The promised Green paper on detailed models and proposed funding distribution, which was due out Spring 2017 simply hasn’t happened. I am beginning to suspect that the penny has dropped just exactly how difficult this process will be. The consequence of the delay is that the overall timetable is becoming more and more problematic and developments will continue to be shelved.

shawn mach
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From today’s Guardian -

Housing associations have cut plans to build homes for vulnerable, elderly or disabled residents by 85% because of concerns over proposed welfare changes, according to an investigation.

A survey of 69 housing associations representing a third of sheltered housing in England found dozens of schemes for new housing either postponed, cancelled or facing closure, a drop from 8,800 to just 1,350 homes.

More: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/aug/25/benefit-cap-blamed-for-85-cut-in-new-homes-for-vulnerable-people

 

Rehousing Advice.
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Unfortunately contributions to the select committee showed that there is no confidence in the new model. Providers simply do not want a model based around LHA levels (set up to meet the requirements of private renters ) with the hope of an additional top up from the LA…....

 

shawn mach
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Plans to cap housing benefit for thousands of mentally ill, elderly and other vulnerable people in supported housing are to be re-examined ... within weeks ...

More: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/21/government-uturn-expected-on-housing-benefit-cap-after-protests

Daphne
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Theresa May just announced at PMQs LHA cap will not be applied to supported housing or wider social rented sector - yay! - full response on Tuesday https://www.gov.uk/government/news/supported-housing-update

Rehousing Advice.
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Cripes….

shawn mach
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Just waiting for Hansard to update, but in the interim ....

“I can also say today that as part of our response to the review we will not apply the local housing allowance cap to supported housing ....

Indeed, we will not be implementing it in the wider social rented sector. The full details will be made available when we publish our response to the consultation.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/25/theresa-may-performs-major-u-turn-plans-cap-housing-benefit

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Blimey, perhaps good news but let’s wait and see what they’ve come up with instead….

shawn mach
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