Housing Advice Service
Jan - Housing Adviser with Pete
The Independent Housing Advice Service has continued to provide a comprehensive service throughout the year to inform, advise and support people to retain, maintain and attain accommodation. Many people have benefited from our support around numerous issues such as rent arrears, evictions, loss of welfare benefits, unsuitable housing conditions, violence and harassment from others and problematic Landlords. Information and advice has been provided around numerous issues including Tenants rights and responsibilities, Homelessness legislation, Welfare Benefits, addressing debt and housing options. This has required making various referrals, liaising with other agencies, challenging decisions around homelessness and welfare benefits, and negotiating with landlords.
The primary role of our adviser is to prevent homelessness and assist clients to secure appropriate accommodation. Referrals are accepted directly from the general public and also a wide range of agencies and professionals. Advice and assistance is immediately accessible via the Advice Line. For more complex issues, our adviser will provide support on a one to one basis by appointment at our advice office in Worksop. She is also able to provide outreach support for members of the public who are unable to access this service otherwise.
For those who have complex issues relating to their housing needs, our adviser will develop a comprehensive support package which can include referrals to various agencies for specialist support, assistance to address benefit and debt issues and referrals for tenancy support. Our adviser takes into account a wide range of difficulties a client may be experiencing (e.g. mental health issues, learning disability, physical disability, or alcohol/ drugs issues) in order to tailor the level of support required to meet individual needs, working closely with other agencies involved to ensure such needs are met, thereby preventing future homelessness.
Case Study
A single parent who was diagnosed with depression and had experienced a bereavement requested advice and support to address neighbour abuse. She attended an advice appointment in a very distressed state as she could no longer cope. Support was provided by referral to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team, Liaison with the police and also on-going letters and calls to negotiate a move by her housing provider. Her housing provider eventually agreed to rehouse our client but only if the property she was in was re-decorated to an acceptable level. Due to a disability and her poor mental health state she was unable to address this herself. We then referred her to our Crisis Team who provided her with paint and arranged for a team of volunteers to repaint her house. She was then able to move into her new accommodation where she felt safe. In recognition that she required on-going support to address her tenancy issues, isolation and emotional needs she was referred to a Tenancy Support worker and provided with information of other organisations who could assist her in the future.
Rural Advice Service
In recognition that people often experience issues which are pertinent to living within a rural community and may have additional difficulties in accessing advice and support, HOPE also provides an advice service in Harworth. This is very popular, particularly for people who are in receipt of benefits and cannot afford to travel into Worksop to address benefit issues or use their mobile phones to make lengthy calls to resolve benefit issues. Additionally, support is provided regarding housing issues for people in this area.
Statistics
Over the last year 317 people have used the service and 180 of these were single people to whom the local authority had no duty to accommodate. Of the total of clients using the service, 82 referrals involved families with children, 37 were young people aged between 16 and 21 and 22 were over the age of 60.
Of the 317 who used the service in the last year 297 people were dependant on welfare benefits and therefore struggling economically. The last year has seen a significant increase in people requiring assistance to address benefit issues, particularly with the implementation of Employment Support Allowance and more stringent conditions in retaining Job Seekers Allowance. This has created greater confusion amongst many claimants and required additional support to facilitate understanding and to address problems relating to the loss of benefits, rent arrears and in some cases evictions.
A large proportion of people reliant on the advice service, were particularly vulnerable, including 37 with physical disability, 21 with mental disability, 95 experiencing other health issues and 18 experiencing drug or alcohol issues.
Consequently there has been a high demand for our adviser to provide 1-1 support particularly for vulnerable people who often have more complex issues and may require additional support around welfare benefits and debt in order to have the economic ability to afford their rents and/or to prevent them becoming homelessness.
Over the last year on-going support has been provided for108 individuals/ families and support has been provided for 67 people/families to find accommodation as well as support to prevent 38 families from becoming homeless.
Future
On 16 February 2011 the Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill legislates for the biggest change to the welfare system for over 60 years.
In line with national trends, there has been an increasing reliance on private rented accommodation over the last year which has created significant difficulties for many of our service users who are unable to compete with people who are employed and do not have complex needs. It is clear that the introduction of further welfare reforms will exacerbate this situation and create a greater demand for the housing advice service. These changes will include:
a) The introduction of time-limited tenancies in social housing and loss of accommodation inheritance rights, which will result in a significant increase in people who will require support to find accommodation in a limited private housing sector.
b) Loss of funding for Bond schemes, which will impact directly on many people who are dependent on welfare benefits and do not have the finances available to cover a Bond for a new tenancy.
c) Changes to the Processing of Social Fund Grants and Loans and other new welfare reforms, which will create confusion and problems in clients receiving grants, loans and benefits particularly during the initial stages whilst changes are being implemented. People will therefore require additional support to understand changes, complete appropriate applications and gain financial assistance and crisis intervention when problems occur during this process.
d) Raising the age limit from 25 to 35 for the LHA shared room rate, which means people within this age range will no longer be entitled to Housing Benefit for one bedroomed flats. Consequently, many people will no longer be able to afford their accommodation and will have to seek a room in a shared house. This will mean an increase in demand for single rooms in shared houses in a very limited market.
e) Changes in the way Housing Benefit is calculated, which will mean that only 30% of local private rents will fall within the Local Housing Allowance rate thereby further reducing the housing opportunities of people reliant on housing benefit and pushing vulnerable people into accepting properties in areas which would place them at greater risk.
f) Increasing deductions from a person’s Housing Benefit for non-dependants who are living with them. This will require tenants to collect more money from adults living in their home (including elderly parents and children) in order to make up the deficit. If an adult is working, in many cases the deduction rate would disqualify the tenant from housing benefit altogether. Consequently, tenants will be at increased risks of accruing arrears, more adult children will be asked to leave, causing higher levels of homelessness and there will be a greater demand for independent housing from people who previously shared. In addition, Landlords will be reluctant to let to families with children approaching 18.
These changes will result in more people requiring information, advice and support in order to help them understand the changes in benefit entitlement and to assist them in securing new accommodation or maintaining their current accommodation. This next year will therefore prove to be a very challenging one for our advisers.
The primary role of our adviser is to prevent homelessness and assist clients to secure appropriate accommodation. Referrals are accepted directly from the general public and also a wide range of agencies and professionals. Advice and assistance is immediately accessible via the Advice Line. For more complex issues, our adviser will provide support on a one to one basis by appointment at our advice office in Worksop. She is also able to provide outreach support for members of the public who are unable to access this service otherwise.
For those who have complex issues relating to their housing needs, our adviser will develop a comprehensive support package which can include referrals to various agencies for specialist support, assistance to address benefit and debt issues and referrals for tenancy support. Our adviser takes into account a wide range of difficulties a client may be experiencing (e.g. mental health issues, learning disability, physical disability, or alcohol/ drugs issues) in order to tailor the level of support required to meet individual needs, working closely with other agencies involved to ensure such needs are met, thereby preventing future homelessness.
Case Study
A single parent who was diagnosed with depression and had experienced a bereavement requested advice and support to address neighbour abuse. She attended an advice appointment in a very distressed state as she could no longer cope. Support was provided by referral to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team, Liaison with the police and also on-going letters and calls to negotiate a move by her housing provider. Her housing provider eventually agreed to rehouse our client but only if the property she was in was re-decorated to an acceptable level. Due to a disability and her poor mental health state she was unable to address this herself. We then referred her to our Crisis Team who provided her with paint and arranged for a team of volunteers to repaint her house. She was then able to move into her new accommodation where she felt safe. In recognition that she required on-going support to address her tenancy issues, isolation and emotional needs she was referred to a Tenancy Support worker and provided with information of other organisations who could assist her in the future.
Rural Advice Service
In recognition that people often experience issues which are pertinent to living within a rural community and may have additional difficulties in accessing advice and support, HOPE also provides an advice service in Harworth. This is very popular, particularly for people who are in receipt of benefits and cannot afford to travel into Worksop to address benefit issues or use their mobile phones to make lengthy calls to resolve benefit issues. Additionally, support is provided regarding housing issues for people in this area.
Statistics
Over the last year 317 people have used the service and 180 of these were single people to whom the local authority had no duty to accommodate. Of the total of clients using the service, 82 referrals involved families with children, 37 were young people aged between 16 and 21 and 22 were over the age of 60.
Of the 317 who used the service in the last year 297 people were dependant on welfare benefits and therefore struggling economically. The last year has seen a significant increase in people requiring assistance to address benefit issues, particularly with the implementation of Employment Support Allowance and more stringent conditions in retaining Job Seekers Allowance. This has created greater confusion amongst many claimants and required additional support to facilitate understanding and to address problems relating to the loss of benefits, rent arrears and in some cases evictions.
A large proportion of people reliant on the advice service, were particularly vulnerable, including 37 with physical disability, 21 with mental disability, 95 experiencing other health issues and 18 experiencing drug or alcohol issues.
Consequently there has been a high demand for our adviser to provide 1-1 support particularly for vulnerable people who often have more complex issues and may require additional support around welfare benefits and debt in order to have the economic ability to afford their rents and/or to prevent them becoming homelessness.
Over the last year on-going support has been provided for108 individuals/ families and support has been provided for 67 people/families to find accommodation as well as support to prevent 38 families from becoming homeless.
Future
On 16 February 2011 the Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill legislates for the biggest change to the welfare system for over 60 years.
In line with national trends, there has been an increasing reliance on private rented accommodation over the last year which has created significant difficulties for many of our service users who are unable to compete with people who are employed and do not have complex needs. It is clear that the introduction of further welfare reforms will exacerbate this situation and create a greater demand for the housing advice service. These changes will include:
a) The introduction of time-limited tenancies in social housing and loss of accommodation inheritance rights, which will result in a significant increase in people who will require support to find accommodation in a limited private housing sector.
b) Loss of funding for Bond schemes, which will impact directly on many people who are dependent on welfare benefits and do not have the finances available to cover a Bond for a new tenancy.
c) Changes to the Processing of Social Fund Grants and Loans and other new welfare reforms, which will create confusion and problems in clients receiving grants, loans and benefits particularly during the initial stages whilst changes are being implemented. People will therefore require additional support to understand changes, complete appropriate applications and gain financial assistance and crisis intervention when problems occur during this process.
d) Raising the age limit from 25 to 35 for the LHA shared room rate, which means people within this age range will no longer be entitled to Housing Benefit for one bedroomed flats. Consequently, many people will no longer be able to afford their accommodation and will have to seek a room in a shared house. This will mean an increase in demand for single rooms in shared houses in a very limited market.
e) Changes in the way Housing Benefit is calculated, which will mean that only 30% of local private rents will fall within the Local Housing Allowance rate thereby further reducing the housing opportunities of people reliant on housing benefit and pushing vulnerable people into accepting properties in areas which would place them at greater risk.
f) Increasing deductions from a person’s Housing Benefit for non-dependants who are living with them. This will require tenants to collect more money from adults living in their home (including elderly parents and children) in order to make up the deficit. If an adult is working, in many cases the deduction rate would disqualify the tenant from housing benefit altogether. Consequently, tenants will be at increased risks of accruing arrears, more adult children will be asked to leave, causing higher levels of homelessness and there will be a greater demand for independent housing from people who previously shared. In addition, Landlords will be reluctant to let to families with children approaching 18.
These changes will result in more people requiring information, advice and support in order to help them understand the changes in benefit entitlement and to assist them in securing new accommodation or maintaining their current accommodation. This next year will therefore prove to be a very challenging one for our advisers.
