Until the housing crisis is cracked and the government take real steps to build more homes that people can afford, housing benefit is the most important mechanism we have to stop people becoming homeless.
Given how much airtime housing benefit gets in the press, you’d think most people understand what it is, who gets it and why. But unless they have direct experience of receiving it, most people don’t quite understand how housing benefit works. So we’ll explain it.
Fundamentally, … Read more
The assault on housing benefit has been unrelenting over the past 5 years. Vital parts of our housing safety net – which make up ordinary families last line of defence against homelessness, poverty and desperation – have been significantly reduced.
After major cuts in 2010, the government again raided housing benefit in this year’s Summer Budget, ushering in a four year freeze to Local Housing Allowance (the form of housing benefit for people living in the private rented sector), … Read more