Recommendation 1

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.