Extract from DWP questions: Support for Tenants with Rent Arrears - May 17
Tuesday, 18 May 2021 08:57
Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab): With the end of the
eviction ban imminent, more than half of claimants needing help
with housing costs face a shortfall between the help available and
their actual rent—£100 a month in the case of universal credit
claimants. The Government always say that discretionary housing
payments are the answer to these shortfalls, so can the Minister
explain to us why discretionary housing payments have suffered a
real-terms cut and will be lower this year...Request free trial
(Westminster North) (Lab): With the end of the eviction
ban imminent, more than half of claimants needing help with housing
costs face a shortfall between the help available and their actual
rent—£100 a month in the case of universal credit claimants. The
Government always say that discretionary housing payments are the
answer to these shortfalls, so can the Minister explain to us why
discretionary housing payments have suffered a real-terms cut and
will be lower this year than they were before the pandemic?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
(): I thank
the hon. Lady for that question. We take this issue incredibly
seriously. That is why we pumped an additional nearly £1 billion
into the local housing allowance and have frozen it in cash terms
for a further year, and why we have the two-week run-on of housing
benefit, direct payments to landlords available, £140 million in
DHPs, the homelessness prevention grant, work coach support and, of
course, Money and Pensions Service support. We
stand ready to support any tenant who needs that support to sustain
their tenancy and prevent homelessness.
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