all supported housing to be funded by Housing Benefit

The Government has announced that housing benefit will be kept in place for all those living in supported housing, including refuges and all forms of short-term supported housing. This announcement follows a consultation process conducted with housing providers, councils and other stakeholders on possible alternative funding options.

This news, together with the recent government update that ‘sheltered rent’ used to set rates will not be applied, will give housing providers and councils much needed confidence about the future provision of services for residents in supported housing accommodation. Importantly, it will enable providers of supported housing to invest in the development of new homes and the delivery of world class services for older residents and those with higher needs.

Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, said:

“Protection of the most vulnerable has always been our primary concern, and following our consultation, the case for keeping supported housing in the welfare system became clear.

The sector also recognised that our aim of improving the quality of homes must be addressed, and we look forward to now working with partners to make sure we have strong measures in place.”

Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, said:

“We are committed to ensuring that vulnerable people have access to the supported housing they need to live safely and independently. We value the expertise of stakeholders and have listened carefully to their concerns during the consultation.

As a result we will continue to pay housing benefit for all supported housing –making sure safe homes are provided for those that need it most.”

The announcement has been warmly welcomed by housing providers, charities and local authorities. Housing Proactive, an Alertacall service, is a housing management tool used by over 40 housing providers in the UK. Individual residents are provided with specialised equipment installed at their properties to improve daily contact with non-intrusive property checks. The equipment is also used to access the repairs team of their respective housing provider and other services. Additionally, Housing Proactive makes it easy to communicate details of when work is to take place on-site or when there are meetings about housing related issues, and gives housing providers access to detailed management information in real time, such as occupancy tracking.

The Housing Proactive service is eligible for housing benefit funding and can be provided at little or zero additional cost for residents.

For more information on how your organisation could benefit from our range of housing management features, email contact@alertacall.com or call Benjamin Lambert, Head of Client Relations, on 0808 208 1234.