One In Five Homes Vulnerable To ‘Poor’ Gas Safety

Confusion amongst UK households about the signs of unsafe gas appliances could be putting vulnerable people at risk, a new report has revealed. According to the Gas Safety Register report, one in five homes in the UK contain ‘unsafe’ gas appliances such as cookers, fires and boilers. The research involved 2,001 people who care for or check in on an elderly or disabled loved one who doesn’t live with them. From those surveyed, three quarters (75%) of these said safety was a key reason for checking in on their vulnerable loved one – yet 92% don’t know at least one of the signs that a gas appliance is unsafe. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/one-in-five-homes-vulnerable-to-poor-gas-safety/

£19.5m To Unlock Private Rented Sector For Most Vulnerable

Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP has confirmed over £19.5m is to be shared among 54 projects across England in bids to help thousands of people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, to secure their own home. Councils are to use the funding boost to help vulnerable people secure their own tenancy through support such as paying deposits or putting down the first month’s rent. The Minister has also outlined plans to look at letting adverts which potentially discriminate against would-be-tenants on Housing Benefit, making clear that these “should end”. According to reports, out of 4.5m households living in private rental accommodation, 889,000 receive housing benefit to help pay rent. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/19-5m-to-unlock-private-rented-sector-for-most-vulnerable/

Sector ‘Particularly Vulnerable’ To Brexit Impact, Report Warns

The social housing construction and operation sector is “particularly vulnerable” to the impacts of Brexit, a new report has warned. Jonathan Linton, director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Centre at the University of Sheffield, said the industry was sensitive to economic volatility expected after the UK leaves the EU next year. In a report commissioned by social housing and procurement consortium Re:allies, Mr Linton said social housing firms were also at risk. “Uncertainty, volatility and unanticipated consequences will continue to impact social housing supply chains for many years,” he said. The professor called for a more streamlined supply chain. Download the report from the University of Sheffield website.

file:///S:/Business%20Improvement%20and%20Development/BID_09_10/Filing/002887_Social_Housing_Supply_Chains_and_Brexit.pdf

Tory MP Warns Theresa May Against ‘Catastrophic’ Housing Benefit Cuts To Under-22s

Theresa May is facing a potential backbench revolt over housing benefit cuts after one Tory branded the changes as “catastrophic”. David Burrowes, Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate, warned that the decision to scrap the benefit for under-22s would “pull the housing rug from vulnerable young people.” While the measure was part of the Tory’s 2015 manifesto, charities and campaigners had hoped the change of Prime Minister last year meant the plans would be scrapped. Labour branded the cuts as “disgraceful”, and today Burrowes called on the Government to rethink the policy. He told Huff Post UK: “The changes planned for April should await the outcome of the supported housing consultation. Read more on the Huffington Post website.

Women's Refuges To Be Exempt From Benefits Cap

Safe houses for women and children escaping domestic violence are to be exempted from the Government's planned welfare cuts, Theresa May has said. The Prime Minister came under pressure from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to protect funding for women's refuges in the UK, amid fears that two-thirds would close when the changes come into force. Mr Corbyn warned that such a move would be "devastating" for the "very vulnerable" women in the refuges and place them in danger. Mrs May confirmed the Government is working to exempt refuges from the cap. Read more on the Care Appointments website.

Associations 'Vulnerable To Challenge Over RTB Exemptions'

Housing associations could be vulnerable to judicial review if they refuse to sell tenants the homes they are living in under the extended Right to Buy. This is the warning from leading barristers commissioned to provide a legal opinion on the Right to Buy extension, known as the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB). Kelvin Rutledge QC and Ashley Bowes of Cornerstone Barristers said that legally housing associations may be free to exempt large amounts of stock – or even their whole portfolio – under the scheme. But they warned that tenants may have “grounds and standing” to challenge these exclusions in court. Access the report via the Future Housing Review website.

Call To Exempt Care Leavers From Housing Benefit Cap

The government is being urged to exclude vulnerable young care leavers living in supported accommodation from its impending cap on social housing benefits. The cap on housing benefit will come into force for those in social housing from April 2018 with a decision on whether this will also apply this to those in supported housing expected next month.  But the Care Leavers' Association is calling on ministers to ensure care leavers in such accommodation are exempt. Failure to do so could leave them at serious risk of homelessness, the charity warns. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Watchdog Slams Council's Illegal 'Gatekeeping'

A council broke the law through its homelessness service’s “aggressive gatekeeping”, a watchdog has found. The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) ordered Eastbourne Borough Council to pay £2,300 after concluding that council officers failed to follow the law and its own policies when handling a vulnerable man’s homelessness application. The ombudsman’s report said Eastbourne Council turned ‘Mr X’ away, despite the fact that he had mental health problems and had been sectioned in the past. The council eventually accepted a duty to house Mr X, but in the meantime he had been evicted, slept rough and lost his possessions. Read more on Inside Housing.

Charity Gives London’s Young Homeless Tickets To Sleep On Night Buses

Homeless young people, unable to find beds in emergency hostels, are being given bus tickets to allow them to sleep on London’s night buses as the number of people sleeping rough in the capital soars, a leading homelessness charity has revealed. New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre in central London that tries to find emergency accommodation for vulnerable young people in crisis situations, said staff distributed bus tickets on a regular basis, and gave young people details about the best routes looping around the capital through the night, so they could have a safe place to sleep. Read more on the Guardian website.

Ruling a Major Step in Tackling Injustice Faced By Single Homeless People

The Supreme Court has ruled on a long-running legal challenge to the way councils decide who is 'vulnerable' enough for housing help. As a result, single homeless people will no longer have to prove they are particularly vulnerable compared to other homeless people in order to qualify for support. This follows interventions in the case by national housing and homelessness charities Crisis and Shelter. Read more on the Crisis website.

Case Could Address 'Longstanding Injustice' For Homeless People

Local councils face a Supreme Court challenge over the way they decide which homeless people are judged 'vulnerable' enough for rehousing. Crisis and Shelter say that the outcome has the potential to address a longstanding injustice that has condemned many people to the streets after being turned away from help by their council. As the law stands in England, when a person comes to their council as homeless, they must prove that they are ‘vulnerable’ enough to qualify as a ‘priority’ for rehousing. But the homelessness charities have evidence of people in desperate situations being judged as not being vulnerable by local councils, including women fleeing domestic violence, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health problems and young people forced out of the family home. Read more on the Crisis website.

Landlords Struggle to Pay Bills When Tenants Miss Payments

A survey of landlords and tenants commissioned by the National Landlords Association (NLA) has found that 40 per cent of landlords earn little more than enough to break even each month, meaning just one missed payment can leave them financially vulnerable. The survey also revealed some interesting insights into tenants’ perceptions of landlords, with one in three tenants stating that they thought their landlord was more interested in their earnings than anything else. The survey was undertaken to investigate the impact of missed rent payments and cumulative rent arrears. In light of the findings and the potential impact of missed rental payments, the NLA has launched a guide to financial management for landlords and tenants. Read more on the NLA website.

Social Landlord Backs Motion To Help Those Hit by Bedroom Tax

A social landlord is backing a Parliamentary motion to increase Discretionary Housing Allowance (DHA) funding in the face of the coming bedroom tax. Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) is getting behind Stockport MP Ann Coffey's motion titled 'Under-occupancy Penalty and the Vulnerable', which is calling on the Government to increase central DHA funding. The motion cites concerns that withdrawing housing benefit from social housing tenants with unoccupied bedrooms will hit the poor, the vulnerable and the disabled hardest, and also recognises that housing associations and councils have a shortage of smaller properties, preventing tenants from downsizing.  Read more on the Housing Excellence website.