Housing chief’s benefits warning over homeless
Maidstone Borough Council’s housing chief has backed calls for the government to pause its roll-out of benefit reform.
John Littlemore said radical changes, such as a rethink on Universal Credit and rental controls were needed to help combat rocketing homelessness in the borough and the rest of the country.
He was addressing more than 50 representatives from charities, local authorities and public services at a conference hosted by Maidstone Homeless Care at Tudor Park Marriott Hotel in Ashford Road, on Tuesday.
Also present were Matthew Scott, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Mossie Lyons, director of the Kairos Community Trust and Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, who talked in depth about growing scale of the problem.
The event coincided with World Homelessness Day and the World Health Organisation’s World Mental Health Day.
In Maidstone alone, the local authority expects to receive at least 800 homelessness applications this year. In 2009/10 they received 80.
At the same time, the conference heard a five-year cap on the housing benefits has seen the private rental sector become all but inaccessible to most claimants alongside a chronic under supply of housing.
There is also mounting concern about the impact of Universal Credit, which combines six benefits into one and will be rolled out in Maidstone in April 2018. According to some critics, it could push claimants into destitution, or even homelessness.
Mr Littlemore said: “There is this growing demand for the government to hold back on Universal Credit and when people like Louise Kacey [a former government social welfare advisor] start saying to the government ‘stop and think’ because of the issues it is having in terms of the impact on the social renting sector it really is something we need the government to pause and think about.”
Rick Henderson, agreed, adding: “The impact of the welfare reform agenda has been to disproportionately affect those at the poorest end of the spectrum.”
He said rising homelessness, now a “national phenomenon” has led to more women, young people and foreign nationals seeking help.