Government Funding For Tenancies For Vulnerable People

Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, announced on Saturday, 18 July, a £266 million package to support vulnerable people into long term accommodation. The funding is part of the Next Steps Accommodation Programme which has been created to cover property costs and support new tenancies for homeless people and rough sleepers, who were provided with accommodation during the lockdown period. Local Authorities and London Boroughs can now apply for the funding which is expected to support around 15,000 people. Read more on the ARLA website.

https://www.arla.co.uk/news/july-2020/government-funding-for-tenancies-for-vulnerable-people/

Homelessness: Coronavirus – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that no homeless person taken off the streets during the COVID-19 returns to living on the streets.

Lord Greenhalgh: The latest figures show that nearly 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown period.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2020-05-19/HL4700

Tory MPs Set Out ‘Fresh Blueprint’ For Future Of Housing

A group of 10 Conservative MPs from the 2019 intake have set out a blueprint for the future of housing over the next decade. The proposals, outlined in in a post-Budget report: Valuing Housing, Improving Lives encompasses how housing policy and the planning system could be directed to supporting the most vulnerable in society. Contributions for supporting the vulnerable include proposals for a ‘preservation of life’ Act to tackle rough sleeping; support to victims of domestic abuse and extending the housing first system to prevention first approach that sees additional spending allocated for frontline and preventative services. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/tory-mps-set-out-fresh-blueprint-for-future-of-housing/

Hundreds Of Vulnerable People Refused Temporary Housing

Government data acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests provides the most comprehensive picture so far of how many vulnerable people applying for housing are missing out. The data shows that 525 (13%) out of 4,192 homeless applicants at risk of or who had experienced domestic abuse were found not to be in priority need for housing in the year up to June 2019. A total of 176 (19%) of 901 people at risk of or who had experienced sexual exploitation fell into the non-priority category. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/hundreds-of-vulnerable-people-refused-temporary-housing-exclusive-data-reveals--65145

Put People Before Process When Allocating Social Housing

Rules and processes designed to decide who gets access to social housing could be failing those in greatest need, according to new research from the Chartered Institute of Housing. In Rethinking Allocations, the CIH found that, faced with not enough genuinely affordable homes, councils and housing associations are forced to ration the housing they have – and that the way they allocate these homes can exclude some very vulnerable people. There are at least four million households in England waiting for social housing, and this number is growing all the time. Download the report from the CIH website.

http://www.cih.org/resources/Rethinking%20allocations.pdf

Vulnerable People Allowed To Transfer Support For Mortgage Interest When Moving Home

Disabled people and others receiving support for mortgage interest (SMI) will be able to request the loan balance be transferred to their new property when moving home, the government has confirmed. SMI is the help offered by government to owner-occupiers in times of need. It is paid as a loan and contributes towards the interest on people’s mortgages if they are in receipt of certain benefits, to protect them against repossession and keep them in their own homes. This change will benefit those moving into a new property due to a disability or health condition, as they will continue to receive uninterrupted support towards their mortgage payments. Read more on the Mortgage Solutions website.

https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2019/06/12/vulnerable-people-allowed-to-transfer-support-for-mortgage-interest-when-moving-home/

Brokenshire Confirms Over £25 Million To Help Vulnerable Rough Sleepers

Thousands of vulnerable people sleeping rough will get specialist support from a £25 million boost announced by Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP. The money, to be shared with 108 local authorities will be used to fund local schemes aimed at supporting people off the streets and into stable accommodation. This will include:

·         20 new “Somewhere Safe to Stay” rough sleeping centres

·         Over 130 navigator posts – specialist support workers who direct people to the services they need

·         61 supported lettings schemes – helping people to secure tenancies in properties that they may not otherwise be able to access

·         30 dedicated local letting agencies –that support vulnerable people into affordable and stable accommodation

Read more on the GovUK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brokenshire-confirms-over-25-million-to-help-vulnerable-rough-sleepers

PRS ‘Not Fit For Housing Vulnerable Tenants’

Debt issues in the private rented sector (PRS) are “so complex” government should review the suitability of PRS for housing vulnerable people, a new survey says. The survey of StepChange Debt Charity clients shows the hidden housing problems caused by debt, particularly in the PRS. Given the findings, StepChange says it is particularly worried about the position of clients in the private sector. Four-fifths of the charity’s clients rent and 40% of StepChange clients are private sector tenants – by far the single most common tenure. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/prs-not-fit-for-housing-vulnerable-tenants/

£20m Fund To Help Homeless Into Private Rented Homes

Thousands of vulnerable people facing homelessness are set to benefit from the launch of a £20 million scheme to help them secure a private rented home. The Private Rented Sector Access Fund announced by Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, is a dedicated fund designed to help up to 9,000 people who are or at risk of becoming homeless to secure their own home. A key part of the government’s expert-backed Rough Sleeping Strategy, the fund will be used to either help set up locally-led schemes or expand those currently in use. These schemes will be tailored to match the needs of each local area’s residents and landlords. Read more on the MHCLG website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-brokenshire-launches-20m-fund-to-help-homeless-into-private-rented-homes

Housing Crisis Drives More Than 1m Private Tenants Deeper Into Poverty

More than a million vulnerable people on low incomes are being driven deeper into poverty after being shunted into the private rental sector due to an acute shortage of social accommodation. A report commissioned by the Nationwide Foundation, an independent charity, says that the shortfall in social housing has been met by a doubling in size of the private rented sector in the past 25 years. But this has forced more households, many on benefits with dependent children or a disabled family member, to pay significantly more for unsuitable housing. Download the report from the University of York website.

https://www.york.ac.uk/media/news-and-events/pressreleases/2018/the-evolving-private-rented-sector.pdf

Cap Rent-To-Own Lending Like Payday Loans, MPs Told

Charities have called for rent-to-own lending and other forms of high interest credit to have their charges capped.  The demand came as lenders and debt management charities were quizzed by MPs on the Treasury select committee as part of an investigation into household finances. Rent-to-own forms of borrowing, where a consumer might pay a weekly amount over time, in order to pay for a product were a serious problem for “very vulnerable” people, the charities warned. These forms of lending are used by half a million consumers each year. Rent-to-own often led the poorest customers to pay a much high premium for items, such as washing machines.  Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/02/28/cap-rent-to-own-lending-like-payday-loans-mps-told/

Vulnerable People 'Trapped In Homelessness' Due To Law

Vulnerable people are unable to access social housing, potentially trapping them "in a cycle of homelessness", due to a change in the law. Under the Localism Act 2011 councils were granted greater powers to restrict access to social housing. Since then 700,000 households have disappeared from waiting lists across England. The HCLG said: "Social housing is a priority for us." Until the act became law in 2012, councils were required to consider all housing applications, with few powers to remove households from the list. Now a local connection - often more than five years in a borough - is required by 35% of councils to access the social housing register. Read more on the BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42919703

Restore Lifetime Tenancies To Vulnerable Tenants, Say Peers

Ministers are being urged to give councils and housing associations back the right to offer lifetime tenancies to those they consider vulnerable. Peers are debating the issue of lifetime tenancies for those in social housing, which started to be phased out by David Cameron's Tory government. They will consider proposals to restore lifetime housing rights to those who have suffered domestic abuse. Council bosses want this to go further and cover other vulnerable tenants. These may be people with mental illness or disabilities. Read more on the BBC website.

Homelessness In England Rises By 75% Among Vulnerable Groups

Homelessness among people with mental and physical health problems has increased by around 75% since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, and there has been a similar rise in the number of families with dependent children who are classed as homeless. According to official figures collated by the CLG, the number of homeless households in England identified by councils as priority cases because they contain someone who is classed as vulnerable because of their mental illness, has risen from 3,200 in 2010 to 5,470 this year. Over the same period, the number of families with dependent children – another priority homeless group identified by councils – has increased from 22,950 to 40,130. Download the figures from the CLG website.

U-Turn On Housing Benefit Cap For Mentally Ill And Elderly

Plans to cap housing benefit for thousands of mentally ill, elderly and other vulnerable people in supported housing are to be re-examined after protests by MPs and charities. The rethink also follows evidence from the NHF, which found that 85% of schemes to build new supported and sheltered homes for vulnerable people have been shelved by housing associations because of fears that the new funding system will make them unsustainable. More than 700,000 people in supported housing usually have the accommodation element of their costs met entirely through housing benefit. But under plans announced by the government in 2015, and due to be introduced from next year, these payments would be capped in the same way as for people renting in the private sector. Read more on the Observer website.

Councils: National Funding Needed For Elderly Sheltered Housing

Local government leaders have called for a two-pronged approach to the funding of sheltered housing. The Local Government Association’s housing commission has said the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) cap is “not sufficient” to meet the higher rents charged in supported housing. The commission said older people in sheltered housing should receive payments from a nationally administered fund, whereas vulnerable people with support needs should partly be supported by grant funding from their local council. The government recently announced a top-up fund would be given to councils to cover any costs for supported housing tenants above the LHA rate. However, no further detail has been published on the amount of the fund or how it will be allocated. Download a copy of the LGA report from their website.

Families And Disabled People 'Hit Worse By Rising Homelessness'

Families and disabled people have been disproportionately hit by increasing homelessness. John Healey, the shadow housing minister, said that while homelessness generally had gone up 41% since 2010, people who might expect extra care from the government were doing even worse. Healey based his claim on figures from the CLG showing that from 2010 to 2016 the overall number of households accepted as being homeless by local authorities in England went up from 42,390 to almost 60,000. But the increase was disproportionately high for homeless households classed as vulnerable through mental illness, where homelessness went up 53%, and for those classed as vulnerable through physical disability, where it rose 49%. Read more on the Guardian website.

Housing Benefit: Young People – Parliamentary Written Answer

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether savings to the public purse over the current Parliament, which his Department estimated will accrue from changes in housing benefit for people under 21 years of age includes the costs of evictions and temporary accommodation potentially resulting from those changes; and whether he has made an assessment of the effect of those changes on young peoples' labour mobility.

Caroline Nokes: It is important to make clear that the changes referred to will only affect claimants on Universal Credit Full service – they will not affect those on Housing Benefit. Since the policy was initially announced, we have worked in collaboration with key housing stakeholders such as Crisis and Shelter to make sure the policy includes the right exemptions to protect the most vulnerable people; we are therefore confident about the robustness of the policy.

Anger As Councils Given Power To Seize Pensioners’ Homes To Pay For Rising Care Costs

Homes of the elderly and vulnerable are being taken by local authorities to pay for residential care bills. Deferred Payment Agreements (DFA) see elderly people hand over their properties to councils which then hold the homes as collateral and cover costs on their behalf. The homes can then be legally seized by the council once a person dies, to cover their debts. According to early NHS figures, 55 councils have taken part in the scheme with 2,895 DFAs currently in place. There are around 400,000 people living in care homes across the country with bills costing people and their families a fortune. Plans to introduce a cap on social care costs this year have been delayed by the Government until 2020, amid fears over how councils could fund the move. Read more on the Daily Mail website.

'Grim Conditions' Put Older Tenants At Risk

Vulnerable older people endure shocking conditions in the private rental sector, leaving them at risk of neglect, bullying and abuse, according to Age UK. The charity warns that, with growing numbers of people renting into their old age, urgent reforms are needed to make sure older tenants are not living in "squalor". It has seen cases involving privately rented homes with only an outside toilet, homes with broken boilers and leaking taps and homes left without cooking facilities for months. Some family members of those renting told Age UK they thought the landlord was waiting for the tenant to die before taking action to improve the property. Read more on the Daily Mail website.