Since the introduction of the ‘bedroom tax’ in 2013, demand for three-bedroom homes has dwindled, leaving many social housing landlords with empty properties on their hands as smaller families just can’t afford them. But one Liverpool-based housing association has used some lateral thinking to get around the problem – they simply knocked through the walls […]
We are pleased to announce that one of our consortium members, New Start, has helped secure a 4-year contract to deliver housing and support to a diverse range of single homeless client groups across Liverpool. Working in partnership with a number of Liverpool-based housing support providers, New Start formed a consortium similar to SSHG. The […]
We are proud to support a new awareness-raising campaign that is taking off on social media. The ‘Housing Is Harm Reduction’ slogan refers to the fact that safe accommodation is a prerequisite to reducing the harms, to both individuals and communities, from drug misuse. The Harm Reduction movement was born in Liverpool in 1985, when […]
Each year local authorities up and down the country have to set their budgets to provide a range of services for the residents of their Boroughs. But there is one section of our communities that is notoriously difficult to pin down – the homeless. As many homeless people move around from area to area in […]
After months of lobbying and hearing evidence from across the housing sector, the Minister of State for Welfare Reform has announced a “year-long exception for all supported accommodation from the 1% rent reduction in the social rented sector”. The reduction was due to come into effect this April, leading many providers to wonder how they […]
Last November the Government outlined their plans to extend Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to social landlords. This, in effect, would mean that those living in supported housing would only be able to claim the same housing benefit as those under private landlords, leading to a massive shortfall in income for providers. At present, social housing […]
Whilst we in the UK are complaining about the topsy-turvy weather we’ve been experiencing of late – gales, floods, but extremely mild temperatures – spare a thought for the rough-sleepers of Moscow. In a couple of months the ‘snowdrops’ will become visible as the snow begins to thaw. ‘Snowdrops’ is the euphemism the Russians use […]
The lifesaving drug naloxone is now available to residents of supported housing services in Sefton. A change in the law last October meant that naloxone, an antidote to heroin overdose, will soon be in every hostel in the Borough. The first training session for staff in how to use naloxone (brand name Prenoxad) took place […]
A new petition has taken off on Facebook to call on the government to think again about proposed changes to housing benefit (HB) in the coming years. As we reported last week, the Government has outlined plans to extend Local Housing Allowance to social landlords. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the method by which local authorities […]
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, with plenty to eat and drink, and Santa brought all the children everything they wanted. Now comes the hangover! January is that time of year when we realise what a struggle it is to manage our day-to-day spending, especially after paying out all that […]
