Sheltered housing developments ‘shelved due to benefit cuts’

This is the take from Homeless Link.

http://www.homeless.org.uk/connect/blogs/2017/oct/25/victory-for-supported-housing-sector

Homeless Link’s Chief Executive, Rick Henderson, commented:

“The Prime Minister’s announcement marks a significant victory for the supported housing sector and the thousands of vulnerable individuals it supports. Homeless Link, working with our members, has campaigned tirelessly for the Government to drop their highly controversial plans to apply the LHA rate to supported housing, and are pleased that our concerns have been listened to.

“We must be certain that the revised plans work for the full range of vital supported housing services, and look forward to continued collaboration with our members and with Government to ensure we secure a sustainable future for the supported housing sector.”

I fear its of the Pyrrhic variety. 

Policy statement and consultations now out - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-for-supported-housing

Thanks Daphne.

Although the short term accommodatipn doesn’t affect many older people, this section from the policy position paper confuses me:

entirely remove short-term supported housing from the welfare system (Housing Benefit and the housing element in Universal Credit). However, an individual’s entitlement for help with their housing costs (through Housing Benefit or the housing cost element of Universal Credit) will be unchanged

Daphne - 31 October 2017 01:25 PM

Policy statement and consultations now out - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-for-supported-housing

Morning all - some colleagues are claiming that the statement will mean that LHA rates will no longer be applied to HA tenancies at all, including general needs (so for example the under 35’s will not be subject to the SAR via HB/UC as planned) ?

Yes that’s my understanding - no LHA caps in the social sector at all -

the Government will not apply the Local Housing Allowance rates to tenants in supported housing, nor to the wider social rented sector

(from the Ministerial Foreword)

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK - 31 October 2017 02:14 PM

Thanks Daphne.

Although the short term accommodatipn doesn’t affect many older people, this section from the policy position paper confuses me:

entirely remove short-term supported housing from the welfare system (Housing Benefit and the housing element in Universal Credit). However, an individual’s entitlement for help with their housing costs (through Housing Benefit or the housing cost element of Universal Credit) will be unchanged

This confuses me as well.  Any ideas?

I think they’re trying to say:

Statement 1.
entirely remove short-term supported housing from the welfare system (Housing Benefit and the housing element in Universal Credit).

Statement 2.
However, an individual’s entitlement for help with their housing costs (through Housing Benefit or the housing cost element of Universal Credit) will be unchanged

For everyone else (who still has an entitlement through HB or UC), things stay as they are now; hence no LHA for social housing etc.

possiblly a reference to two homes provisions if left normal home - but agree not at all clear from what we have been given.

It is a most unusual ancient script “supportedhousingalese”.

The language is extant.There are only about 20 or so individuals that can actual decipher these complicated hieroglyphs.

Rights net contributors should not feel bad if they fail to comprehend the odd pictogram,  even a renowned expert like HB anorak can struggle. 

I cannot help you with this one!

There are a couple of places where it refers to service users in short term hostels and in DV refuges no longer having any personal liability for rent at all - the whole thing will be funded by block gross contracts (paras 60 and 68).  So I think that is the intention.  As to what they mean by an individual’s right to claim HB/UC for housing costs, I truly have no idea.  It looks like it should have been deleted in the edit and got missed.

Yes it appears residents allocated to such accommodation will not be charged rent or service charges, as the costs are intended to be fully borne by the new ring fenced grant. 

Now if there is no liability…..

HB Anorak - 02 November 2017 04:01 PM

I cannot help you with this one!

There are a couple of places where it refers to service users in short term hostels and in DV refuges no longer having any personal liability for rent at all - the whole thing will be funded by block gross contracts (paras 60 and 68).  So I think that is the intention.  As to what they mean by an individual’s right to claim HB/UC for housing costs, I truly have no idea.  It looks like it should have been deleted in the edit and got missed.

Yes the paper is ambiguous on this point.  Perhaps they mean that LHA rates would be paid in short-term accommodation with the balance met from a grant?  Removing all liability to pay rent and thus negating HB and UC HC entitlement seems to not fit with the wider welfare reform philosophy of helping prepare people for life in the real world where rent has to be paid. On the other hand, sorting out a HB claims in short term housing is a hassle everyone could do without.

Either way, both local authorities and short term housing providers appear to have an incentive now to maximise HB entitlement as presumably the grant will be based on existing spend?

if you are on UC without housing costs the higher work allowance (where it still exists!) will apply, but as it is much simpler I sure they are aware

Uho, trouble predicted ahead…..

While proposals for future funding arrangements for long-term supported housing have been broadly welcomed, the proposal now being made for short-term supported housing is, if anything, worse than what was originally proposed.

It is not a climbdown, it is a stepping up of the previous policy. And instead of making the situation better, the so-called u-turn threatens to make it immeasurably worse.

Supported housing u-turn won’t help: it will make things much worse

The problem is that there is now not a sensible mechanism on the table for the so called short term accommodation.

Doing any portion of this nationally via UC (Housing costs) simply wont work. UC is not meeting the needs of private or social landlords let alone supported housing providers, with higher rates of turnover in tenants, where LHA is not appropriate.

Doing this locally via a type of Supporting People 2 is unlikely to receive support from the providers, given their experiences under SP1.

Its neither better or worst than what has gone before. Its a vague non solution pretending to satisfy all.