Supported housing funding reform: tenants and charities questioned

3 March 2017

The Work and Pensions and Communities and Local Government Committees hear from supported housing tenants and charities on the Government's proposed funding reforms as part of their joint inquiry.

Witnesses

Tuesday 7 March 2017, Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

At 3.45pm

Tessa Bolt
John Wood
Joe Coffin
Robert Davidson
Merida Taylor

At 4.30pm

Joe Oldman, Policy Manager Age UK
Jane Ashcroft CBE, Chief Executive, Anchor
Anne Lawn, Head of Operations, Sense
Gillian Connor, Head of Policy and Development, Rethink Mental Illness

At 5.15pm

Sian Hawkins, Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager, Women's Aid
Denise Hatton, Chief Executive, YMCA England
Lisa Hubbard, Senior Support Officer, Working Chance

Focus of the session

The Committees plan to focus on whether the benefits system discourages people in supported housing from finding work and consider how tenants in shorter-term supported housing can be supported to return to general needs accommodation.

The Committees intend to ask tenants why they use supported housing, how it helps them to live independently and examine the quality of support they receive.

Representatives of charities providing long term accommodation are also asked about the implications of the funding proposal and whether they would affect the sector's ability to meet future demand. The Committee also hears from charities providing short term accommodation, including hostels and women's refugees, about pathways back to general needs accommodation.

The inquiry is examining the planned changes for 2019-20, when core rent and service charges for supported housing will be funded through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit up to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate. For costs above this, funding will go to local authorities for disbursement locally.

Further information

Image: PA