The Mayor of Salford has called on the Government to support
homeless people by scrapping changes to housing benefit rules that he says put
night shelters at risk of closure.
Earlier this year, the council withdrew housing benefit payments to
homeless people staying in a shelter following legal advice that changes to
benefit rules meant they were no longer eligible for such support. The decision
forced the shelter to close its doors in April this year – since the majority
of its funding was derived from housing benefit. However, with the help of a
private donation it later went on to re-open temporarily, three nights a
week. In February, the Upper Tribunal,
which makes legal decisions on housing benefit, ruled that it could not be paid
to homeless people using a night shelter in Anglesey
because it was not legally classed as a dwelling. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.
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