Uncategorized – The Supported Housing Blog

The End of the Property-Led Exempt Accommodation Contrivance?

I need to bring to your attention a very recent Upper Tribunal Judgment.

Some of you may recall a BBC Panorama programme from a few years ago (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62497015), which focused on the charity My Space Housing Solutions.

I have, for a long time, written and spoken about property-led entryism into the supported housing ecosystem by property developers, portfolio owners, lettings agents, etc., who see big profits from housing benefit, but have no emotional commitment to supported housing. This could be the end of that business model, and the sooner the better.

The Exempt Accommodation Project

It simply wrong and discriminatory that tenants’ entitlements to Enhanced Housing Benefit, which is a personal benefit, are dependent on the legal identity of their landlord.

Why are some local authorities restricting enhanced Housing Benefit payments to charities & voluntary agency supported housing providers and/or forcing them to apply to become registered providers?

We are beginning to see disappointing examples of some local authorities imposing blanket restricted Enhanced Housing Benefit levels on non-registered provider supported housing (i.e., voluntary organisations and charities). This has nothing to do with matching resources to needs. It’s just crude cost control being exercised at the expense of supported housing and the people it houses and supports.