NIFHA BACKS CALL FOR RETHINK ON WELFARE CHANGES
NIFHA during its support of Homelessness Awareness Week 2011 calls on Westminster Ministers to rethink changes to housing benefit rules that could push many local people into hardship and possibly homlessness.
Homelessness Awareness Week started 25 November and was organised by Council for the Homeless NI to raise awareness of homelessness in Northern Ireland. As part of the week NIFHA highlighted the reality of the Government’s proposed welfare changes.
Under the Welfare Reform Bill Government is proposing to cut benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a ‘spare bedroom’ – even if they have lived in the property for decades.
It will hit people with disabilities hardest. Foster carers will lose out too, even if their ‘spare room’ is being used by fostered children.
Separately, the Government wants to scrap tenants’ right to have their housing benefit paid directly to their landlord. Removing the most convenient way for tenants to pay their rent is likely to lead to increased personal debt and arrears.
There is also a proposal that single people under 35 will be offered a shared room rate rather than that of a self-contained flat. The fear is that the changes will force some young people to present as homeless as they go into debt trying to make-up any shortfall in rent using a low wage or other welfare benefits.
The Coalition government plans to implement these changes from 2012.
As part for our awareness raising NIFHA:
- contacted local MPs and MLAs to ask for support for this campaign and ensure Northern Ireland MPs lobby against these measures in Parliament;
- wrote directly to the Welfare Reform Minister, Lord Freud, calling on him to drop these changes; and
- contacted local Life Peers to highlight our concerns as the Bill is currently undergoing line-by-line scrutiny by Committee in the House of Lords.
NIFHA’s chief executive, Chris Williamson, said:
“NIFHA takes the welfare of tenants seriously and is concerned these measures could cause a lot of hardship for many local people.
“Government must reconsider these proposals immediately. They could leave tenants with a stark choice between getting into debt or getting out of their home.”
ENDS
Further Information
Chris Williamson
Chief Executive
T: 028 9023 0446
NOTES TO EDITORS
About NIFHA and our members
- NIFHA represents, promotes and supports housing associations in Northern Ireland.
- There are 31 registered Housing Associations in NI, all of which are members of NIFHA and a further six non registered associations are also members.
- Housing associations manage nearly 36,000 units of accommodation - over a quarter of all social housing in NI.
- Since 1998 housing associations have provided virtually all new social housing in NI.
- In the financial year 2010-11 housing associations achieved a record 2,418 starts.
- Collectively, since 1991 housing associations have taken out over £626.2million of private finance to assist with social house building.
- 21,000 households in NI have been assisted with purchasing their own homes through Co-ownership. In the financial year 2010-11 Co-ownership had 492 in contract to purchase and 121 homes where clients stair-cased to full ownership
About Homelessness Awareness Week
- It exists to draw attention to the problem of homelessness in Northern Ireland
- The week is co-ordinated by Council for the Homeless NI (www.chni.org.uk)
- A variety of events are taking place to highlight the problem of homelessness
- Events have been organised to include those who are homeless in some fun activities
