Recommendations & Conclusions
8 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
An unknown but significant number of residents’ experiences of exempt accommodation are beyond disgraceful. Taxpayers’ money is being spent on uncapped housing benefit on the understanding that residents, who are usually vulnerable, receive some care, support, or supervision—yet it is clear that some people’s situations actually deteriorate as a result …
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An unknown but significant number of residents’ experiences of exempt accommodation are beyond disgraceful. Taxpayers’ money is being spent on uncapped housing benefit on the understanding that residents, who are usually vulnerable, receive some care, support, or supervision—yet it is clear that some people’s situations actually deteriorate as a result of the shocking conditions in which they live. We heard of squalid environments, vermin, drug-taking, crime and abuse. We heard of people with a history of substance misuse being housed with drug dealers, and of survivors of domestic abuse being housed with perpetrators of such abuse. The support on offer is sometimes little more than a loaf of bread left on a table or a support worker shouting at the bottom of the stairs to check on residents.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the need to protect vulnerable residents of exempt accommodation, highlighting existing duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the national supported housing standards and will consider the interaction between licensing, national standards and Housing Benefit regulations.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
3
Conclusion
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
It is egregious that organisations with no expertise are able to target survivors of domestic abuse and their children and provide neither specialist support nor an appropriate or safe environment. Where a prospective resident of exempt accommodation is a survivor of domestic abuse, there must be a requirement that housing …
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It is egregious that organisations with no expertise are able to target survivors of domestic abuse and their children and provide neither specialist support nor an appropriate or safe environment. Where a prospective resident of exempt accommodation is a survivor of domestic abuse, there must be a requirement that housing benefit is only paid to providers that have recognised expertise and meet the standards in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. This must be implemented alongside increased supply of specialist services: the Government’s Supported Housing Improvement Programme offers an opportunity to develop an evidence-based, survivor-led model of exempt accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and their children.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the need to protect survivors of domestic abuse in exempt accommodation, highlighting existing duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the national supported housing standards and will consider the interaction between licensing, national standards and Housing Benefit regulations.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
Within twelve months of the publication of this report, the Government should publish national standards, and give local authorities the power and resources to enforce these standards, in the following areas: • The referral process, which should include an assessment of the prospective resident’s support needs and if there are …
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Within twelve months of the publication of this report, the Government should publish national standards, and give local authorities the power and resources to enforce these standards, in the following areas: • The referral process, which should include an assessment of the prospective resident’s support needs and if there are any considerations about with whom they should or should not be housed; • Care, support, or supervision, which should include helping the resident progress towards independence and employment; • The quality of housing; and • Information the provider must give to the resident, including on their rights, particularly their right to work and right to complain.
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Government response AI summary
The government will bring forward national standards for support and give local authorities the power to set up licensing schemes. Referral pathways, resident needs assessments, and information provision will be considered as part of developing licensing regulations and national support standards. They are also working …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
7
Recommendation
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
Consideration should be given to an accreditation scheme for providers, implemented on a graded basis, so that councils can assess the quality of provision in their area and so that poorer quality providers can improve.
Government response AI summary
The licensing regime, national standards for support and strategic plans in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill will enable local authorities to identify issues, and local authorities may choose to set up accreditation schemes. The government will also ask whether additional measures outside of licensing …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10
Conclusion
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
The different regulators have oversight for different aspects of exempt accommodation, and this means it is not simple to include oversight of exempt accommodation under a single regulator. However, the existing regulators are experts in their own areas and may be able to improve oversight of exempt accommodation if they …
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The different regulators have oversight for different aspects of exempt accommodation, and this means it is not simple to include oversight of exempt accommodation under a single regulator. However, the existing regulators are experts in their own areas and may be able to improve oversight of exempt accommodation if they worked more closely together in a more structured way. We therefore welcome the comment from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) that a national oversight body was being considered.
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Government response AI summary
The government has committed to establishing a Supported Housing Advisory Panel to provide advice on the regulatory oversight of supported housing and to bring together key stakeholders.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
12
Conclusion
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
The dearth of data on exempt accommodation shows how successive Governments have been caught sleeping. The Government does not know how much exempt accommodation there is or how many people live in exempt accommodation. The Government claims that poor providers are a minority but has no data to back this …
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The dearth of data on exempt accommodation shows how successive Governments have been caught sleeping. The Government does not know how much exempt accommodation there is or how many people live in exempt accommodation. The Government claims that poor providers are a minority but has no data to back this up. The Government does not know how many providers are regulated and by which regulators. We know there have been acute problems in Birmingham, for example, which the then Minister for Welfare Delivery said were not happening across the country. Without data, however, it has been very difficult to ascertain the extent of these problems across the country. We welcome the data review commissioned by the Government, but it will only provide a snapshot in time. We also welcome the steps the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is taking to improve data collection, but since this will apply only to new claimants it will take time for a reliable national picture to emerge.
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Government response AI summary
The government has commissioned research to assess the supported housing sector, to be published by the end of 2023, which will consider systematically collecting and publishing data. DWP has made changes to Housing Benefit data collection and is funding local authority reviews of Housing Benefit …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
Within twelve months of publication of this report, the Government must organise the collection, collation and publication of annual statistics at a local authority level on the following: • The number of exempt accommodation claimants; • The number of exempt accommodation providers; • The number of housing units used for …
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Within twelve months of publication of this report, the Government must organise the collection, collation and publication of annual statistics at a local authority level on the following: • The number of exempt accommodation claimants; • The number of exempt accommodation providers; • The number of housing units used for exempt accommodation; • The number of exempt accommodation housing units per provider; • The number of exempt accommodation claimants per provider; 48 Exempt Accommodation • The number of exempt accommodation providers registered with different regulators, and commissioned to provide accommodation or support; • The number of providers meeting and failing to meet the national standards we set out; and • The amount of money paid by both the DWP and the local authority in exempt accommodation housing benefit.
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Government response AI summary
The government has commissioned research to assess the supported housing sector, to be published by the end of 2023, which will consider systematically collecting and publishing data. DWP has made changes to Housing Benefit data collection and is funding local authority reviews of Housing Benefit …
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14
Conclusion
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Acknowledged
The Government has no idea how much taxpayer money is spent on exempt accommodation, nor what this money is spent on. It cannot know whether the current system is delivering value for money. Millions of pounds are being poured into exempt housing benefit with no guarantee that vulnerable residents will …
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The Government has no idea how much taxpayer money is spent on exempt accommodation, nor what this money is spent on. It cannot know whether the current system is delivering value for money. Millions of pounds are being poured into exempt housing benefit with no guarantee that vulnerable residents will get the support they need. In some cases, vulnerable residents who are likely to have low incomes have to pay for support out of their own pockets. It is quite possible that the Government does not need to spend more on exempt accommodation but to spend more wisely.
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Government response AI summary
The government has commissioned research to assess the supported housing sector, to be published by the end of 2023, which will consider systematically collecting and publishing data. DWP has made changes to Housing Benefit data collection and is funding local authority reviews of Housing Benefit …
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government