Supported Housing Reforms Have 'Shortcomings'

The minister in charge of welfare reform has said the proposed system for administering housing benefit for people in supported housing has ‘shortcomings’.  Lord Freud told housing representatives in March that while the DWP ‘doesn’t want to put services at risk … the current [proposed] system does have shortcomings’.  The minutes from the meeting emerged this week following widespread concern from the sector that plans for so called ‘exempt accommodation’ were not going to work. Supported housing is classed as ‘exempt’ from housing benefit caps because it is generally more expensive than other accommodation.  Under the plans, councils would be given funds to ‘top up’ local housing allowance to cover the additional cost of providing supported housing.  But in a meeting with charities in September, civil servants at the DWP admitted they do not know how many people living in supported housing there were who will be affected by benefit reforms. The reason the number of people affected is important is because this could affect the overall size of the pot in different areas.  Read more on Inside Housing.