Vulnerable SW residents could lose £51 in housing benefit a week

A proposed cap on Housing Benefit could see the South West’s supported housing residents asked to make up a shortfall of more than £51 a week to pay rent. According to figures from the Starts at Home campaign, roughly 5,500 could be affected in the first year alone.

The Starts at Home campaign aims to highlight the importance of supported housing, a diverse sector made up of schemes that provide extra care and support ranging from women’s refuges and specialist dementia accommodation to veterans’ services. On 1 September, housing associations are taking part in ‘Starts at Home Day’ – a day of campaigning to celebrate supported housing across England.

In the South West, there are more than 45,000 living in this type of housing, three quarters of whom are older people. The estimated £51 a week shortfall in Housing Benefit would mean that these vulnerable residents need to find an extra £2,650 a year to cover their rent.

The Federation has welcomed a Government review into how supported housing is funded, with an announcement expected soon. However, the continuing threat of the Local Housing Allowance cap continues to cause uncertainty over the future of this essential type of accommodation and support. Across the country, an estimated 156,000 homes or 41% of all supported housing would become unviable and be forced to close if the cap were implemented. Building work on 2,400 new specialist homes has already been cancelled as a result of the threat alone.

If current trends continue, a rapidly aging population means that there will be 50,000 fewer supported housing homes than needed each year by 2025.

Jenny Allen, External Affairs Manager for the South West at the National Housing Federation said: “Some of the most vulnerable people in the South West are supported by housing associations – and it cannot be right that they lose the £51 per week that helps keep a roof over their heads.

“The Government has already said that these tenants will continue to receive the support they need, but providers need to hear how it will do this. Any future funding model should provide peace of mind and security to those people who most sorely need it.”