Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy: Interim Evaluation Report

As the post immediately below states, the DWP has issued an interim report presents early findings from the evaluation of the Bedroom Tax or as the Coalition call it the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS). The objectives of this project are to evaluate:

·        the preparation and implementation of the policy changes by local  authorities and social landlords

·        the extent of increased mobility within the social housing sector  leading to more effective use of the housing stock

·        the extent to which more people are in work, working increased hours  or earning increased incomes as a result of the RSRS

         the effects of the RSRS, and responses to it, of:

·        claimants

·        landlords

·        local authorities

·        voluntary and statutory organisations and advice services

·        funders lending to social landlords

Download the report from the DWP website.

'Social Landlords Should Deliver the Work Programme'

A new report has called on policy-makers to hand power to local community intermediaries such as social landlords and voluntary organisations to determine and deliver the range of employment-related services within their communities. Think tank ResPublica's 'Responsible Recovery: A social contract for local growth' argues that the ‘community right to challenge’ should be extended to welfare and employment services in order to "save" the Government’s welfare reform agenda.  The report calls upon housing associations to use their assets for wider neighbourhood benefit, engage in active partnerships around community budgeting, and support and facilitate asset transfers and devolved services, including employment and training support.  Download a copy of the report from the ResPublica website.

New Fund to Help Homeless Services Prepare For the Future

The Homelessness Transition Fund has launched a new fund to help homelessness charities respond to pressures caused by rising demand at a time of cuts to funding.  Under Future Ready, voluntary sector organisations that work with homeless people can apply for grants from £5,000 - £25,000 to help them respond to the challenges they face.  With homelessness numbers at their highest since 2008 and six out of every ten projects having had their budgets cut in 2011, Future Ready aims to help organisations prepare for further changes to the commissioning and funding of services.  Organisations can apply for grants to help them:

    *Adopt new ways of working or build their skills base

    *Form new partnerships with other organisations

    *Test new approaches that will attract funding

    *Make difficult decisions about their future

    *Improve business planning or collect evidence to show the importance of their work

Find out more on the Homeless Link website.

Tackling the Poverty Premium in Social Housing

Many households in the UK are starting to feel the economic squeeze as job losses, pay freezes, soaring train fares, energy price wars, housing slumps and rising food prices take their toll in austerity Britain.  But what about the poorest of households, facing a poverty premium for the same basic essentials we all need? The Guardian recently called for housing providers to do more to help residents to manage their finances through education, as well as enabling access to cheaper products and services in order to prevent welfare reform measures from overwhelming poorer households.  The Big Lottery Fund's improving financial confidence initiative aims to do just this, targeting those identified as the most affected by financial exclusion; social housing tenants moving in and out of work and first time tenants or young people in social housing. The Big Lottery is investing £31.7m in 37 partnership projects across England to enable housing providers and voluntary sector organisations, local authorities and financial service providers, to prevent an estimated 150,000 of the most vulnerable social housing residents from falling into a spiral of debt.  Read more on the Guardian website.

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.

New Report on Private Renting Schemes

Crisis, the charity for single homeless people, has published a report detailing achievements from its first year running the Private Renting Access Development Programme.  The programme, funded by the CLG supported 49 local projects run by voluntary and community based organisations across England in its first year.  The schemes, which work with both landlords and tenants, offer assistance and advice on finding suitable accommodation, budgeting, dealing with housing benefit and paying bills amongst other services.   The Programme has, in its first year under Crisis’ administration, helped 1,370 people move into private rented accommodation and the report reveals how over three-quarters of these people were successfully supported to stay in their new homes for at least six months.  Download a copy of the report by clicking on the logo below.

Community Right to Challenge Comes Into Force

More communities will be able to bid to take over local services they think they can run differently and better as the Community Right to Challenge provisions come into effect. The Community Right to Challenge hands more power back to communities, allowing voluntary and community groups, parish councils and local authority staff to express an interest in taking over the running of local authority services, making services more responsive to local needs and delivering better value for money. Also, a range of specialist support is being put in place to help community groups wanting to take greater control of their community through every stage of the process - from setting up a group and developing a proposal right through to the delivering services on the ground. The Social Investment Business, in partnership with Locality and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations will deliver a three year support programme worth £11.5million. The programme will include a dedicated advice phone line where support and information will be available. It will also include grants to help groups to use the new right and bid to run local public services, resources, and case studies. Read more together with examples of community groups already providing excellent local services on the CLG website.