Housing benefits cap will see my association’s income slashed by £2.83m and devastate the care we provide to people in most needGeorge Osborne’s determination to cap housing benefit for social rented properties from April,including specialist housing, will prove a devastating and possibly fatal blow to care and supported housing services across the country.
Under the plans, or due to assume effect from 2018,housing benefit for social housing tenants would be capped at the same rate as local housing allowance, the benefit people in the private rented sector can claim, and which is limited to the cheapest 30% of local private rents. The Department for Work and Pensions intends to apply the cap to housing benefit for tenants in supported and sheltered housing,despite the fact that rents in supported housing tend to be higher to reflect the additional facilities and resources involved. As a result, associations such as ours that provide housing for older people, or people with disabilities and people with mental health needs could be left with huge shortfalls. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com