Supported Housing Rent Row Sparks Care Crisis

Councils and supported housing providers across the UK are locked in bitter legal disputes over rent levels which are taking so long to resolve that services are facing closure.  Hundreds of documents obtained under a freedom of information request by extra care and supported housing provider SAF Housing have exposed many cases where local authorities are refusing to provide enough housing benefit to meet rent levels charged by charities and voluntary organisations for supported housing.  They also reveal a number of legal battles lasting for years at a time, during which period providers must fund the difference between the rent level demanded and the housing benefit councils are prepared to provide. Anecdotal evidence suggests some supported housing providers have shut as a result.  Read more on the SAF website.