The UK Government has announced today that Housing Benefit will continue to be used to fund rent and eligible service charges in all supported housing. The decision comes following a consultation, which Llamau contributed to, which proposed a number of different models for funding supported accommodation. The proposals included plans to devolve housing costs in short-term supported accommodation through a grant to the Welsh Government. However, after considering responses from the sector, including concerns raised by Llamau about the potential impact on the people we support, the UK Government has decided to scrap those plans.

The decision means that young people and women living in our short-term supported accommodation projects, including our domestic abuse refuges and young people’s 24-hour supported accommodation projects, will still be able to claim Housing Benefit to cover the rental costs and services charges of living in Supported Accommodation.

We welcome the decision which provides much more certainty about the future funding of supported accommodation and will help us to continue to provide the very best support to some of the most vulnerable young people and women in Wales.

We now need Welsh Government to show support for Housing and Homelessness

While the UK Government’s announcement provides some assurance about funding for supported accommodation, there is still huge uncertainty around homelessness and housing-related support funding in Wales. The Welsh Government is currently considering plans to merge Supporting People funding and the Homelessness Prevention Grant into an Early Intervention, Prevention and Support supergrant. 

Along with other charities and organisations from the housing sector, we have raised significant concerns about these plans in the Housing Matters report. The report suggests an alternative solution of a ring-fenced homelessness and housing-related support grant, and we urge Welsh Government to provide more certainty on funding by considering these proposals.

We have supported the #HousingMattersWales campaign, and you can play your part in helping us to protect homelessness and housing-related support services in Wales. Here are some of the ways you can get involved.

Contact your local and regional Assembly Members

Write to your local and regional Assembly Member to let them know why housing matters to you and your community. Find out who your local assembly member is here.

Spread the word on social media

Use your own social media channels to help highlight the importance of homelessness and housing-related support, and to help raise awareness about the Housing Matters Wales campaign. Search the #HousingMattersWales hashtag on Facebook and Twitter to share and retweet posts in support of the campaign. Most Assembly Members are also on Twitter. You can help to raise awareness by tagging your local Assembly Member in your own tweets about why homelessness and housing-related support matters to you.

Your support can play a vital role in protecting existing services and preventing homelessness in Wales. Together, we can put an end to homelessness in Wales.