Funding Supported Accommodation: Financial and Administrative Implications of Reforming Housing Benefit

In: Public administration: an international quarterly, Band 79, Heft 2, S. 457-468

Abstract

Discusses problems that are likely to arise in the identification of support schemes & service cost estimations that local authorities in GB must provide before the Apr 2003 replacement of current arrangements with a new support budget. It is maintained that the proposed tightening of Housing Benefit calculations will decrease entitlements to most claimants in supported accommodations, & who represent the poorest segment of the population, & care must be taken to prevent undue financial hardship & to protect tenants in schemes that will receive no funding under the new budget. A description of the reform proposals is followed by a discussion of difficulties local authorities face in identifying Housing Benefit claimants in supported accommodation; the complexities involved in assessing the amount of eligible/ineligible charges; & the potential impact of the proposed changes on claimant entitlements. Although the new "Supporting People" funding regime rightfully acknowledges the need for improved coordination between the various bodies involved, further reform is needed to address unresolved issues like the increasing deterioration of housing choices for persons with special needs. 10 References. J. Lindroth