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‘Housing Confident’ - ?
This is lengthy but well worth a read:
Lowestoft’s Conservative MP makes several very good points about UC – the ‘usual’ ones, shall we say.
The Minister then responds with stock claims of brilliant success, and that ‘more people are now on UC than on JSA’ – as if that is an achievement. I don’t need to expound on this forum about why this is a dishonest claim of success. The same goes for ‘99% of claims’ being made online. What else would you get when you refuse any other form of claim as far as you possibly can?
What took my interest was the ‘Housing Confident’ policy – which is new to me:
‘[We] have introduced a “Housing Confident” scheme to ensure that universal credit work coaches talk to claimants about housing and that work coaches are alert to the support that claimants might need. It is about properly understanding the claimant’s needs, and this can extend to providing budgeting advice or, when needed, arranging for direct payments to landlords.”
They did that very quietly…. has anyone seen it at work?
Not seen any evidence of this at work - might be worth a FOI request “since Housing Confident scheme was introduced, how many times have work coaches arranged for direct payments to landlords” ?
overall the tory MP made some good points, and clearly understands many of the problems - with which the minister didn’t deal.
i noted he mentioned issues around the claimant’s journal/who the DWP will talk to, broadband/IT issues for people, as well as delays in payment rent arrears etc….
shame the party of which he is a member won’t care….
Never heard of ‘housing confident’. We have raised locally the need for Work Coaches to be alert to people raising problems with housing costs and rent arrears so that they can be directed to appropriate sources of support, including APA.
We are doing advice sessions within the Jobcentre in our full service area for this reason, so that people with arrears or concerns can be directed for support at earliest opportunity, however there has been no mention of any policy initiative on their side, we haven’t even managed to get to attend their team meeting yet!
I am astonished to be unable to find anything on this. Literally nothing. An online search brings this thread up as the top hit! Doubtless this means Housing Confident will be as successful as Disability Confident!
FoI request sent in - answer due by 10/8.
Housing Confident rears it’s invisible head again…..
A new ‘Housing Confident’ scheme was also announced, which the DWP said will ensure Universal Credit work coaches talk to claimants specifically about housing – and are alert to the support claimants might need.
Well well well- the due date for my FoI request has whooshed by like one of Douglas Adams’s deadlines. Internal review applied for.
The DWP reply is in: just add a howling wind and a tumbleweed or two, and you have my impression of this:
Housing Confident isn’t a policy within itself. It uses and reinforces our current Universal Credit policies to make sure we pay claimants housing costs on time and offer them appropriate financial support.
Housing Confident is an internal initiative for Jobcentre staff to make sure they understand the importance of discussing housing with claimants and can support them overcome housing issues. Work Coaches need to understand the interplay between people’s housing circumstances, the labour market conditionality regimes and support available to claimants. Much of this is a new area for Universal Credit claimants as legacy DWP benefits did not include payments for rent.
We know that where the claimant has worries about their housing, it can be a significant barrier to moving towards work and can prevent the claimant being more self-sufficient over time if the housing issues persist. As UC now pays housing costs as part of the UC award, there is an opportunity for work coaches to ensure the housing journey progresses smoothly.
There are no external products associated with this initiative. We are revising our current housing products within the Work Coach learning journey and guidance so that jobcentres rolling out the Universal Credit full service have improved training available from the outset.
Going forward, this will ensure work coaches are better prepared supporting claimants with more complex housing circumstances. This will involve applying the rules correctly around different housing scenarios, signposting to the right support services and using our current support strategies, such as Personal Budgeting Support, Universal Support delivered locally and Money Advice to optimum effect.
A new product for our local leaders is being finalised over the summer to make sure our staff understand the housing needs of the local community, as well as emphasising how important it is to work with local stakeholders who have an interest in housing.
“Universal Support delivered locally” - there’s another one. Does it actually exist in a way that adds any value or extra services beyond the established network of issue-specific advice agencies, supported accommodation, floating support etc?
Ah, “Going forward”...
Anyone fancy a game of bingo?
and ..... “housing products” aren’t they something you get from your local builders merchants or DIY store. Can’t imagine many claimants want “housing products” from the DWP.
“Legacy”... which roughly translates as the old way of keeping you in poverty.
Top tip - avoid lengthy 20 days waits by seeking DWP management information here: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/gobbledygook-generator.html
“...... an internal initiative for Jobcentre staff to make sure they understand the importance of discussing housing with claimants and can support them overcome housing issues.” = But don’t expect the Work Coach to help you with your eviction notice.
“This will involve applying the rules correctly around different housing scenarios, signposting to the right support services and using our current support strategies, such as Personal Budgeting Support, Universal Support delivered locally and Money Advice to optimum effect.” = if they are lucky the Work Coach will give the claimant details of an approrpiate local agency for housing advice (assuming there is actually such a resourse avaialble).
hours of fun can be had decripting DWP management speak!
Ah yes. Signposting to housing support services which largely… signpost.
HOUSING CONFIDENce Trick
HOUSING CONFIDENce Trick
CONFIDENce Trick full stop
Lets pretend Work Coaches are going to be competent in all aspects of anything that might impact on a claimants life and barriers to work (a kinda throw back to generic social work) including:
Administering the conditionality requirments and sanctions accurately and approrpiately in ever case / every time.
Have a full understand of the UC legislation and administrative processes (inc housing costs!)
Understand the qualifying rules and administration for all other benefits.
Have a proper understanding of long term health condituions / disability across a whole range of claimant groups they have not previously had to deal with under legacy benefits.
Be able to identify vulnerable claimants and apply the guidance etc approrparitely in every case.
Give advice and support in other arears like money management / debt, housing, employment etc etc.
At least thats what local DWP Partnership managers etc are promoting as how wonderful Work Coaches will be under all singing, all dancing UC!
Thanks for doing this Andrew,
I guess why the reply reads so strangely, is that the writer simply doesn’t see that the payment of housing costs is fundamentally about securing homes (put another way people are confident they will not lose their home) its about smoothing the housing journey, (this implies a bumpy ride) to achieve the primary function of getting people into work…..........
This might appear to be the same thing, but in practice the “getting into work” bit takes precedence, eg the insistence on payments direct to the claimant, ignoring the voice of housing associations and private landlords etc
The DWP (after the nationalisation of housing costs) now holds arguably the single best unified tool to prevent further homelessness occurring needlessly. The tragedy is that they don’t see it as fundamental to their role….....