Lord Freud to Review Plans and 'Protect Providers'

The Department for Work and Pensions has promised to review controversial legislation which homelessness organisations said would threaten hostels.

Welfare minister Lord Freud wrote to charity Homeless Link last week with a commitment to ‘protect providers from any unintended consequences’ of reforming the way the cost of supported housing is paid.  The charity had previously expressed concern that the DWP’s plan to manage additional housing costs for supported housing outside of welfare reforms such as the benefit cap would force hostels to close because they would not be classified as exempt.  The government’s definition of services which would qualify for additional money did not cover the ‘majority’ of homelessness hostels, according to the charity.  Read more, including Lord Freud’s letter, on the Homeless Link website.