Inside Housing
Care and support

Rough sleeping figures rise by 73 per cent

22/05/2012

The number of rough sleepers on the streets of London has risen significantly again, according to figures from a homelessness charity.

MPs to scrutinise work on homes for elderly people

22/05/2012

Progress made into improving housing for older people in the past three years is to be scrutinised by an all-party parliamentary group.

Councils cut free home care for older people

18/05/2012

The number of older people who get their care fully paid for by their local authority has dropped by 11 per cent, according to research.

Ageing sustainably

18/05/2012

By 2020 China will have more than 260 million people over the age of 65. Here, Jess McCabe gets a glimpse at how the country plans to house some of them in a giant, retirement eco-city

The blame game

18/05/2012

Grant Shapps has upbraided councils for their use of bed and breakfast accommodation when housing homeless families but with homes in short supply, what other options do authorities have? Emily Twinch investigates

Government policies 'are failing housing'

17/05/2012

The government’s housing policies are failing to mend Britain’s ‘broken housing market’, according to a damning report from three leading housing bodies.

Housing stalwart gets policy review brief

16/05/2012

Housing stalwart and former Inside Housing columnist Jon Cruddas is to co-ordinate Labour’s policy review.

Report questions legality of household benefit cap

15/05/2012

The government may have broken equality laws when introducing the total household benefits cap, according to watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Not working out

15/05/2012

Initiatives to get homeless people into work should be applauded, but the work programme is taking the wrong approach

Charity seeks help to find rough sleepers

14/05/2012

A homelessness charity has launched a campaign to call on members of the public to help them find rough sleepers in Kent and Medway.

£1.8m to tackle 'beds in sheds'

14/05/2012

The government has announced £1.8 million of funding to help councils tackle the problem of ‘beds in sheds’.

Cuts threaten ability to tackle rogue landlords

11/05/2012

Public sector cuts are hampering the ability of some councils to crack down on rogue landlords, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Unfair blame

11/05/2012

Social landlords, as readers of Inside Housing know only too well, are facing a whole host of challenges.

A compassionate ruling

11/05/2012

The High Court relied on human rights legislation to overturn a decision on end-of-life care. David Renton, barrister at Garden Court Chambers, explains

National disgrace

11/05/2012

Councils must take note of the housing minister’s concerns about their use of bed and breakfasts

Shapps issues B&B warning to councils

11/05/2012

The housing minister has warned 20 councils to improve the way they deal with homeless people.

Work scheme fails homeless

11/05/2012

The government’s flagship work programme has been accused of failing homeless people as another homelessness charity pulled out.

Supported housing reforms have 'shortcomings'

10/05/2012

The minister in charge of welfare reform has said the proposed system for administering housing benefit for people in supported housing has ‘shortcomings’.

Housing 'left out of Queen's speech'

10/05/2012

The Queen’s speech has provoked mixed reaction from the sector as housing was largely left out of the government’s priorities for the next parliamentary session.

Silent speech

09/05/2012

It’s hard to know whether it’s good news or bad news that there is so little legislation affecting housing in the new parliamentary session.

Lords reform raises concerns for social care bill

09/05/2012

Plans to reform elderly care look set to be downplayed when the government unveils its legislative programme for the next session of parliament today.

Care reforms forgotten

08/05/2012

Momentum is building among care providers and campaigners as the Queen’s speech approaches, not least because the promised social care reforms might not be included.

Problems shared

08/05/2012

Housing providers can play a key role in tackling domestic violence. Here one specialist charity explains how it is working with the sector to improve support.

Care groups demand overhaul of support system

08/05/2012

Groups working to support elderly and disabled people have come together to urge the prime minister to overhaul social care.

Ex-Westminster housing boss takes Camden post

04/05/2012

Westminster Council’s former director of housing has moved over to Camden to become its new director of housing and adult social care.

Labour victory in Wales

04/05/2012

Labour has made big gains right across Wales, emerging as the only major winner of the night.

Landlords warned off bedroom tax loophole

04/05/2012

Landlords risk breaching loan agreements if they reclassify properties to protect their tenants from the ‘bedroom tax’.

Location clause delay

04/05/2012

Advice for councils on housing homeless people in the private rented sector has been delayed following revelations that London councils are trying to move people to cheaper areas.

Residents consider legal action after data blunder

04/05/2012

Tenants who complained about anti-social behaviour on their estate are considering legal action against their London landlord after their personal details were passed to the 10 ASB offenders.

Homeless face losing council housing guarantee

03/05/2012

A flagship Conservative council in London would no longer automatically guarantee social housing to homeless applicants under plans being discussed by leading councillors.

Council wrong to refuse housing to dying man

03/05/2012

The High Court has ruled a council’s decision not to house a dying homeless man was unlawful.

Charity chief hits out at ‘inhumane’ work test

02/05/2012

The government’s test to assess whether individuals are suitable for employment is an ‘inhumane ordeal’ for homeless people, the head of a charity said today.

Squatting criminalised as legal aid bill becomes law

02/05/2012

Plans to criminalise squatting and restrict access to legal aid for all but the most serious housing cases have become law.

Woman jailed for fraudulent housing claim

01/05/2012

A woman who used a false passport to fraudulently obtain a social home has been jailed for eight months.

Council sent complainants' details to ASB offenders

30/04/2012

Police are patrolling an estate around the clock after a council sent details of residents who complained of anti-social behaviour to the perpetrators.

Duncan Smith opposes Osborne’s £10bn welfare cut

30/04/2012

The work and pensions secretary has suggested £10 billion of further welfare cuts threatened by the chancellor would be opposed by his department.

Petition seeks legal duty to support single homeless

27/04/2012

Crisis is calling for the government to change the law to force local authorities to help single homeless people.

Extra funding for homelessness prevention work

27/04/2012

Measures to prevent homelessness are being backed with extra Scottish Government funding this year.

Fears welfare reforms will increase fast-track evictions

27/04/2012

Landlords will fast-track possession claims using ‘draconian’ legal measures to defend their businesses against the impact of welfare reform, the government was warned this week.

Locally sourced

27/04/2012

None of the candidates for London mayor have really addressed the problems highlighted by Newham this week, argues Stuart Macdonald.

Peer pressure

27/04/2012

The government’s welfare reforms faced a fierce opponent in Lord Richard Best as he battled to protect society’s poorest people. Carl Brown meets the staunch housing advocate to find out what drives him and what’s next on his agenda

Shapps challenged to prove rent claim

27/04/2012

The leader of Islington Council has challenged housing minister Grant Shapps over his latest claim this week that private rents are falling.

London rents 75 per cent higher than rest of UK

26/04/2012

Private rents in London are 75 per cent more expensive than the rest of the UK, new figures revealed.

Legal aid cuts threaten thousands of children

25/04/2012

Campaigners have warned thousands of children could be hit by restrictions on legal aid in housing cases.

Homelessness charity founder dies

24/04/2012

The founder of a charity for the homeless supported by the construction and property industry has died at the age of 89.

Fed warns Newham problems are ‘tip of iceberg’

24/04/2012

Moves by a London council to house families hundreds of miles away from the capital are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ the National Housing Federation has warned.

Marathon runners raise £20,000 for Hact

23/04/2012

Runners raised more than £20,000 for the Housing Association Charitable Trust in the London Marathon yesterday.

One size doesn’t fit all

20/04/2012

Homeless people with complex needs are being let down by the government’s work programme

Homeless men 'treated as slaves' by Travellers

19/04/2012

Homeless men were beaten and exploited by a Traveller family who kept them captive, shaved their heads and forced them into work, a court has heard.

Laughter is the best medicine

18/04/2012

Comedy sessions for older people in sheltered housing and extra care schemes could save money in the long run, says Colin Wiles

Charity seeks Olympic legacy for homeless people

18/04/2012

With 100 days to go until the Olympics, a homelessness charity is calling for a commitment to ensure the games result in improved support for homeless people.

Float or sink?

17/04/2012

When I started working at Inside Housing in July 2010, wardens, or the lack thereof, were big news in the care sector.

Tenants in court battle against council

13/04/2012

Residents in Barnet have launched a court case against their council over plans to introduce a floating warden to sheltered accommodation.

Boarded up in Bradford

13/04/2012

As Gingerbread Housing Project closes for good, Rhiannon Bury kicks off our procurement special by examining the devastating human impact of cuts to Supporting People budgets.

Slow progress

13/04/2012

Seventy-five years ago George Orwell exposed terrible living conditions in the north. Today the same areas still face huge problems

Future Dale Farms 'lurking', group warns

12/04/2012

A support group for Gypsies and Travellers has said a recent government progress report does not properly address the problem of a lack of authorised Traveller sites in the UK, meaning incidents like Dale Farm are ‘lurking in the future’.

Charities fear loss of homelessness cash

12/04/2012

London homeless charities have expressed fears that over £5m of funding allocated to them by the government has been diverted to other areas by Boris Johnson.

Pre-election plea for older people housing support

10/04/2012

A group of organisations championing older people’s rights has called on politicians to improve the lives of older people ahead of local elections next month.

Broadway quits debt advice scheme

05/04/2012

A homelessness charity has pulled out of providing debt advice services for vulnerable people in London after changes to funding conditions.

Firing up the Welsh economy

05/04/2012

Imaginative social enterprise could help communities in Wales emerge from austerity

That extra mile

05/04/2012

A team of dedicated housing professionals - including one of Inside Housing’s very own reporters - is gearing up to run the London Marathon for Hact. Nick Duxbury has the inside story - and a bit of a limp

Lazy consensus

04/04/2012

Private companies could force housing providers to reassess how they do business, argues John Wade

In with the new

02/04/2012

Another week, another scathing attack on the Care Quality Commission

A friend in need

30/03/2012

Edinburgh’s Homelessness Prevention Service is making a big difference to vulnerable residents in the city. Sam Thorp finds out how the council-commissioned service works

Tory councils making biggest cuts to SP services

30/03/2012

More than half of the councils making the biggest cuts to services for vulnerable people are Conservative-run, despite the government urging local authorities to maintain budgets.

Charity leaves 'under-resourced' work programme

29/03/2012

A London-based charity has dropped out of the government’s flagship welfare to work programme claiming that it is insufficiently resourced to get homeless people into work.

Cuts hitting homelessness support

28/03/2012

Government cuts are affecting homeless people’s abilities to get jobs and homes while services are being forced to offer reduced support, a new report reveals.

Riots panel calls for more support for communities

28/03/2012

A major study into last summer’s riots has found local services are not creating enough opportunities for individuals to make a difference in their communities.

Cash boost for councils adapting homes for soldiers

23/03/2012

Councils which have adapted the homes of wounded soldiers will receive a share of more than £200,000.

More cuts to come

23/03/2012

Hidden in the Budget was the threat of more pain for the social housing sector

Services cut for 46,000 vulnerable people

23/03/2012

More than 46,000 of England’s most vulnerable people have had vital care services scrapped or scaled back after council budget cuts forced the termination of hundreds of support contracts.

Charity disputes Osborne's family Budget claim

22/03/2012

A children’s charity has dismissed the chancellor’s depiction of his Budget as being for hard working families.

Peer withdraws attempt to change squatting law

21/03/2012

A peer has withdrawn amendments to a bill which seeks to ban squatting after assurances were given that they could be brought back at a later stage of the debate.

Charity calls for Budget relief for poor families

19/03/2012

A child poverty charity has called on the chancellor to increase child tax credits and further incentivise working families as part of his Budget this week.

At crisis point

16/03/2012

As waiting lists get longer, councils are increasingly dependent on emergency accommodation to house people. But as one tenant tells Carl Brown, life can be hell for the residents.

Ministers’ homelessness prevention plan attacked

16/03/2012

The government’s new homelessness strategy could flop because it does not contain any plans to penalise poorly performing councils.

Care leavers could get priority access to housing

12/03/2012

Young people in the care of Brighton and Hove Council could be given top priority for council housing in future.

Charities have to turn away women seeking refuge

09/03/2012

Women’s Aid turned away 230 women seeking refuge from domestic violence on a typical day last year due to lack of space, a report on the impact of welfare reform has found.

‘My son’s death haunts me every day’

09/03/2012

The brutal murder of eight-year-old Mark Cummings prompted a group of social landlords to question Scotland’s policy on housing sex offenders. Here, Martin Hilditch reports on their long battle for information and the consequences of their campaign

Aster applies to deregister

09/03/2012

Aster plans to deregister its parent company and its care and support arm to reduce regulation.

Scotland the brave

09/03/2012

Nine years ago Scotland made a bold commitment to end homelessness by 2012. As its deadline approaches, Emily Rogers reports on the progress so far

Struggling to get work

09/03/2012

Nearly 60 per cent of social housing tenants are unemployed, so why are housing providers finding it hard to win contracts under the government programme designed to tackle worklessness? Nick Duxbury investigates

Homelessness figures rise by 14 per cent

08/03/2012

The number of people accepted as homeless in England has soared by 14 per cent in the last year, government figures today reveal.

Advice services fail to stop rough sleeping

08/03/2012

People at risk of sleeping on the streets are often not provided with vital support when they approach services asking for help.

Payment by results model to tackle rough sleeping

07/03/2012

The government is introducing a ‘payment by results’ funding model for charities working to get rough sleepers off the streets of London.

Housing boss attacks sector’s stance on migration

06/03/2012

A housing association chief has hit out at the sector for failing to get to grips with the link between housing and migration.

Local authorities block offenders’ access to housing

06/03/2012

Ex-offenders face significant barriers from local authorities when they are trying to secure accommodation, according to research.

Housing costs mean families struggle to afford food

05/03/2012

Families are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their finances and spending as little as £2 a day on food, according to charity Family Action.

Cheated out of their savings

02/03/2012

Abusive financial practices targeting the elderly are on the rise, but so are measures to protect vulnerable housing association residents. Alex Turner reports

Identify the risk

02/03/2012

With homelessness on the rise, urgent action must be taken to reverse this trend

St Paul’s protestors invite rough sleepers to squat

02/03/2012

Evicted Occupy London protestors are planning to offer vulnerable people places in squats in an attempt to keep them off the streets.

Last post

01/03/2012

And so, having ‘done this to death’, the bedroom tax and the Welfare Reform Bill have passed their final parliamentary hurdle.

A growing concern

28/02/2012

Last week we reported that the great and the good in housing were called to Number 10 for meetings about the future of smaller supported housing providers.

Family champion should represent social enterprise

28/02/2012

A pressure group has called for the next so-called ‘family tsar’ to be drawn from the social enterprise sector following last week’s resignation of A4e boss Emma Harrison.

Breaking down barriers

27/02/2012

Nearly 30 years since Stonewall Housing Association was set up, there’s still a pressing need for specialist housing for LGBT tenants, says Bob Green, its chief executive

Council ‘dumbing down’ rough sleeper numbers

24/02/2012

A homelessness charity in north Wiltshire has accused a council of under-reporting the number of rough sleepers on its streets.

Number 10 steps in to save small providers

24/02/2012

Large providers could be forced to sub-contract supported housing contracts to smaller organisations, under crisis growth plans drawn up by the government.

Shared home scheme for former homeless

24/02/2012

A homelessness charity in London has set up a housing project to help people affected by housing benefit reforms.

Homeless Link calls for councils to stop cuts

23/02/2012

Councils must stop slashing homelessness services and instead invest more in prevention, an organisation has demanded as figures show rough sleeping has risen by almost a quarter.

Sent back

22/02/2012

So here is the predictable pong to the Lords’ ping: the bedroom tax amendment rejected in the House of Commons.

NHF targets Lib Dem MPs in bedroom tax battle

21/02/2012

The National Housing Federation is urging people to tweet Liberal Democrat MPs to persuade them to support an amendment aimed at watering down the government’s controversial ‘bedroom tax’.

Calling in the movers

20/02/2012

The ‘bedroom tax’ is meant to encourage tenants to downsize if they are under-occupying their homes. But, especially in the north of England, social landlords say there are simply not enough smaller houses and flats to move tenants into.

Setting the record straight

17/02/2012

An exclusive survey of more than 200 councils reveals Mr Cameron spoke out of turn when he claimed private rents were dropping. Carl Brown reports

Squatting ban amendment withdrawn

16/02/2012

A peer seeking to change the proposed ban on squatting by allowing people to stay in homes which have lain empty for more than six months has been told her amendment might get support if it proposed a longer timescale.

Net call

15/02/2012

The end game on the bedroom tax is going to be about more than just whether the House of Commons continues the parliamentary ping-pong.

Council support

14/02/2012

Good news for thousands of people in Birmingham this week, as the council decided not to cut its Supporting People budget by as much as initially proposed.

Join our forum on building strong communities

14/02/2012

Neighbourhoods will go under the microscope this week as the housing sector looks at ways of building stronger communities.

Boost for vulnerable people as council reduces cuts

13/02/2012

Birmingham Council has decided to reduce its cut to spending on vulnerable people by £1.9 million after a resident consultation.

Side effects

10/02/2012

Welfare reform may be the biggest challenge facing the sector, but its nature is still uncertain.

Bright ideas

10/02/2012

The Riot Report is just the beginning for work to highlight the positive role played by social landlords.

Out of the cold

10/02/2012

Nobody should be forced to sleep on the streets and a new initiative in Merseyside aims to stop this happening

Welfare reform calendar 2011 – 2013

10/02/2012

The Welfare Reform Bill is about to receive royal assent and will radically alter the benefits system. Now the government has beaten the Lords, Carl Brown explains why it is important that landlords prepare for the changes

CIH report evaluates welfare reform impact

08/02/2012

Proposed welfare reforms present serious challenges for the south east while a benefit cap may not be enough to incentivise people to work, a new report claims.

Housing the debate

07/02/2012

The debate about how housing providers should play a role in care services is as old as the hills.

Final acts

03/02/2012

After months of wrangling the government looks set to get its way on the Welfare Reform Bill, says Carl Brown

Watchdog shuts down sale and rent back market

03/02/2012

The Financial Services Authority has shut down the market for businesses that buy homes from struggling homeowners and then rent them back to them.

CIH president attacks IDS over homeless slur

03/02/2012

The new president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has criticised the work and pensions secretary for creating confusion around the definition of homelessness, in his debut speech.

Small mercies

02/02/2012

Yesterday’s events in the House of Commons have left me looking for some good news among the bad.

Housing association sets up care service

01/02/2012

Two Cambridgeshire-based companies are joining forces to create a new care and support service.

MPs urged to support bedroom tax amendment

01/02/2012

MPs have come under pressure to accept an amendment to the government’s plan for a ‘bedroom tax’.

Homeless to get support ahead of cold weather

31/01/2012

Rough sleeper support services are being ramped up in parts of the country ahead of a predicted cold snap this week.

Welfare reforms 'will halt building of family homes'

31/01/2012

The coalition government’s welfare reforms will prevent landlords from building family-sized homes, a report claims.

Taking the strain

30/01/2012

Today is the 21st anniversary of perhaps the most significant statement in the recent history of housing.

Housing experts warn of homelessness threat

30/01/2012

The government has been warned that its plans for welfare reform are likely to have an impact on homelessness figures and increase the use of bed and breakfasts by local authorities.

No more begging bowl

27/01/2012

Writing about housing finance whilst in the grips of recession can sometimes feel like a thankless task.

Foreign exchange

27/01/2012

Returning home is the best option for central and eastern Europeans sleeping rough on London’s streets, but getting them there isn’t as easy as it seems, says Jeremy Swain

Trapped in their own home

27/01/2012

Delays to home adaptations are leaving older and disabled tenants living in unsuitable and often degrading conditions for years at a time. So is the disabled facilities grant failing vulnerable people? Martin Hilditch investigates.

Winners and losers

24/01/2012

Who has most to celebrate from last night’s defeat for the government on welfare reform?

Homelessness charity gets boost from artists

24/01/2012

Some of the world’s leading artists have joined forces in support of homelessness charity Shelter.

Big Issue case could help homeless access benefits

20/01/2012

Big Issue sellers who have been denied access to housing benefit could reapply following a court ruling, a legal centre has advised.

Families cut back on food and fuel to pay for homes

19/01/2012

A third of people across Britain have cut back on food so they can pay their housing costs, according to a Shelter survey.

ALMO to take control of more council services

17/01/2012

An arms-length management organisation is to take control of housing services for the whole of a local authority area following an agreement with the council.

Shapps outlines plans for elderly downsizing

17/01/2012

Councils should help elderly people downsize in order to free up family homes, housing minister Grant Shapps has said.

Traveller site provision hit by lack of assessment

17/01/2012

The scrapping of regional assessments of housing need has worsened conditions for Travellers, an academic has claimed.

White House advisor calls for housing investment

16/01/2012

A top US homelessness advisor has praised Scotland’s efforts to tackle the problem and called for further investment in social housing as a ‘number one priority’.

Make plans crystal clear

13/01/2012

Landlords face needless court action if they fail to consult tenants properly, says Robert Wassall, head of social housing at Blake Lapthorn

Time for change

13/01/2012

Regulating private landlords will help tenants and reduce housing benefit and health care costs, says Richard Kemp

Cameron rent claim attacked by sector

11/01/2012

The prime minister’s claim that rents have been reduced as a result of his government’s welfare reforms has been disputed by sector figures.

Care home staff suspended amid abuse allegations

10/01/2012

A care home has suspended four members of staff after an investigation was launched into allegations of physical and verbal abuse of a dementia sufferer.

Contract wins boost 2011 trading for Mears

10/01/2012

Mears has announced £156 million of social housing contract wins, and said trading for 2011 was as expected.

The year ahead

06/01/2012

Stuart Macdonald takes a look at what 2012 could bring for the housing sector

Poorer families not receiving heat discount

04/01/2012

Hundreds of thousands of poorer families are not receiving financial help to heat their homes this winter due to a shortfall in funding, a charity claims.

One million use payday loans to fund housing

04/01/2012

Nearly one million people have taken out a payday loan to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last 12 months, a new survey shows.

Group warns Cameron over 'inefficient' care system

03/01/2012

Elderly people are facing neglect and abuse because of an inefficient care system, the prime minister has been told.

Charity warns of handwash moonshine danger

03/01/2012

A homelessness charity is warning of the dangers of alcoholic hand wash gels after a man died after reportedly getting drunk on the product.

Charities join forces to support homeless

22/12/2011

Homelessness charities have joined forces to help men and women using winter shelters gain access to support networks and services.

Report warns homelessness cuts lives by 30 years

21/12/2011

Homeless people have a life expectancy 30 years lower than the national average, new research shows.

Wales hit by five-year high of homelessness

21/12/2011

Homelessness in Wales is at a five year high, according to new figures released this week.

Police launch investigation into care home death

20/12/2011

A council has launched a joint investigation with police after an elderly woman is thought to have fallen to her death from a window in a housing association-owned care home.

£20m fund to support single homeless people

20/12/2011

The housing minister has announced £20 million of ‘new funding’ to tackle the number of single homeless people in England.

Easy access?

16/12/2011

Landlords must do more to ensure wheelchair accessible homes are allocated to tenants who need them

Leeds predicts homelessness rise as enquiries grow

16/12/2011

Leeds Council has warned that it expects homelessness to increase dramatically after a massive leap in enquiries to its housing team.

Review of the year

16/12/2011

What a year. From the economic doom and gloom to the summer’s riots, social landlords have had their work cut out over the past 12 months. Here, Inside Housing looks back at the highs and lows

Government releases £10m to fight youth gangs

14/12/2011

Millions of pounds of government funding will been handed to 30 local authorities across England to combat gang and youth violence.

Coroner attacks vulnerable man's support

09/12/2011

A housing association has pledged to work closer with partner agencies after a coroner attacked the support a vulnerable man received before he died after suffering years of abuse from neighbouring youths.

Break the cycle

09/12/2011

Young homeless people are our future, expensive, problems in waiting

Night riders

09/12/2011

London’s bendy buses have become a haven for homeless people seeking a safe place to sleep. Here Martin Hilditch recounts his night with the outreach team attempting to find them more suitable accommodation

Study highlights value of extra care housing

08/12/2011

An evaluation of extra care housing developments funded through a £227 million government programme has concluded the schemes could help meet the needs of an ageing population.

Real alternatives

06/12/2011

The government must unlock the door on 350,000 empty homes, says Phil Spencer

MPs fear 'another Southern Cross'

06/12/2011

The government is not doing enough to monitor the finances of England’s care homes, a House of Commons committee has said.

Debt advice could save landlords £50 million

05/12/2011

Housing associations should invest in debt advice programmes to avoid evictions and tackle homelessness, a new study claims.

Care regulator criticised for lack of reviews

02/12/2011

The regulator for care homes has come under fire for failing to adequately monitor services for vulnerable people.

Spending cuts blamed for rising benefit bill

02/12/2011

Housing bodies have blamed swingeing government spending cuts for adding nearly £2 billion to the cost of housing benefit over the next five years.

Hotline to combat surge in rough sleeping

01/12/2011

A homelessness charity is encouraging members of the public to call with information on rough sleepers after identifying a surge in the number of people on the streets.

Housing services hit by public sector strike

30/11/2011

Housing offices across the UK are set to close or offer reduced services today as staff join around two million public sector workers who are striking over pensions.

Home Group sets out plans to build 4,000 homes

29/11/2011

One of the country’s biggest housing providers has set out plans to build 4,000 homes over the next four years, part funded by government money.

Benefit threat to human rights

25/11/2011

Whitehall plans to cap benefit for workless households could violate the Human Rights Act, according to legal advice obtained by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Fuel poverty campaign hits House of Commons

25/11/2011

Inside Housing lobbied parliament this week after the UK’s first Green Party MP tabled an early day motion to the House of Commons to support our Green Light campaign.

Show your support

25/11/2011

One of the key aims of the Green Deal consultation, announced on Wednesday by energy secretary Chris Huhne, is to cut fuel poverty.

Council failed Down's syndrome man locked in flat

23/11/2011

A council has come under attack from two ombudsmen over the care given to a Down’s syndrome man who was kept in a locked one-bedroom flat after being refused the right to return home from hospital.

Freud rejects change to calculation of cap

22/11/2011

Welfare reform minister Lord Freud has indicated the government is not willing to change the way the proposed £500 a week cap on benefits for workless households is calculated- but has promised measures to ‘ease the transition’ for families.

An old strategy

22/11/2011

It’s been the most anticipated document at IH towers for…weeks at least. The government’s housing strategy has been touted as the cure for England’s housing ills, so it was no surprise that the anticipation was palpable on Monday morning.

Bishops call for benefit cap to be revised

21/11/2011

Bishops have called on the coalition government to alter its controversial welfare reforms.

Tenants rehoused following alleged kidnapping

18/11/2011

A housing association has rehoused a number of homeless people for their own safety after neighbours surrounded the block of flats where they live following the alleged kidnapping of a 10-year-old boy.

Fond memories

18/11/2011

A pioneering scheme which furnishes dementia sufferers’ homes with familiar objects from their past is being trialled in north west England. Simon Brandon finds out how the project could assist independent living and cut care costs.

Shining stars

18/11/2011

We reveal details of the winners of the 2011 UK Housing Awards

Health and housing combine for Wirral scheme

15/11/2011

A housing association in the north west of England has joined up with a local primary care trust to develop a £10 million health centre and housing project.

Legal aid cuts to undermine welfare reform

15/11/2011

Cuts to legal aid will undermine the government’s own welfare reforms, a disability charity has warned.

Camp beds

11/11/2011

The protest camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral has already attracted the attention of the world’s media - but now it has emerged that it is also a draw for homeless people.

Protest camp leads to rise in rough sleeping

11/11/2011

The number of rough sleepers in the City of London has increased by 25 per cent after a protest camp was set up outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

London protesters to set up homeless support

07/11/2011

Occupy London protesters camping outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London are planning to set up a welfare tent to support homeless people access support services.

Turned away

04/11/2011

Women fleeing domestic violence are entitled to a roof above their head, so why are so many sleeping rough?

Council backs down from soup run ban

02/11/2011

A council has backed down from plans to ban soup runs from taking place outside a cathedral after reaching a compromise with organisers.

Priority number 1

01/11/2011

With the clocks going back on Saturday and the nights are drawing in, Christmas is creeping nearer and there’s mulled wine, roaring fires and good food to look forward to.

Landlord transfers temp accommodation homes

31/10/2011

A housing association has transferred ownership of 130 of its temporary accommodation homes to another landlord.

‘Phantom beds’ for homeless people

28/10/2011

A government scheme to provide accommodation for homeless people will only supply a third of the ‘extra’ beds ministers promised.

DWP admits benefit numbers confusion

28/10/2011

Civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions admitted they do not know how many people living in supported housing there are who will be affected by proposed benefit reforms.

Spending to save

27/10/2011

The Scottish Government has been accused of short-sightedness this week by a housing body.

Survey reveals councils' fears for vulnerable

26/10/2011

Almost nine in ten councils have acknowledged that cutting their housing related support will put vulnerable people at risk, according to a survey.

Timely intervention

25/10/2011

This week, the Welsh Government announced it will undertake a review of its homelessness legislation as part of a ten-year project to reduce the number of homeless people.

Scottish minister attacks benefit reforms

21/10/2011

The secretary for capital investment and infrastructure in Scotland has hit out at plans to reform the benefit system.

Taking the tough option

21/10/2011

An effort to persuade the government to allow tenants to opt to have their housing benefit paid to their landlord predictably failed last night.

Rough sleeping scheme scoops £25,000 award

21/10/2011

A project helping the most entrenched rough sleepers off the streets of London has won a prestigious homelessness award.

Streetwise projects

21/10/2011

The Andy Ludlow Homelessness Awards recognise those helping rough sleepers. Martin Hilditch reveals the winners

The colour code

21/10/2011

The housing sector has appraised the government’s performance to date. Rhiannon Bury investigates the key findings

Housing minister jumps 160ft from crane

19/10/2011

Housing minister Grant Shapps breathed a big sigh of relief after completing a 160-foot charity bungee jump on Sunday.  

Task force to examine social mobility and housing

18/10/2011

A task force for politicians to investigate how the housing sector can improve social mobility has been launched.

Dale Farm in ‘lockdown’ as legal bid fails

17/10/2011

Residents of the Dale Farm Traveller site said they have ‘locked down’ the area after losing their latest legal bid to halt eviction.

Cuts threaten one in three family support services

17/10/2011

Almost one in three intensive family support services have closed or are at risk of closure as a result of the government’s public funding cuts, a charity has warned.

Fears for vulnerable amid claims of govt mistake

14/10/2011

The government failed to count more than 200,000 vulnerable tenants when it drew up plans to hand councils a pot of money to pay for supported housing costs, charities have claimed.

Giving good guidance

14/10/2011

How housing association staff are mentoring troubled teenage tenants. Emily Rogers reports

LMH extends pilot in-house care scheme

14/10/2011

Liverpool Mutual Homes is piloting an in-house Supporting People project that could see the housing association provide care services to thousands of its vulnerable residents.

Council failed domestic violence victim - report

13/10/2011

A council has been accused of maladministration after it failed to provide adequate support for a homeless woman fleeing domestic violence.

Beds for homeless boosted with £37m funding

12/10/2011

Thirty housing associations, councils and other providers will deliver around 1,200 new bed spaces for homeless people with £37.5 million of funding.

Poverty front line

11/10/2011

Amidst a global economic crisis and with the cost of living soaring, a very real statistic emerged on today’s front pages.

Sector welcomes shadow cabinet changes

07/10/2011

Changes to the shadow cabinet - including the introduction of a minister for older people - have been welcomed by the sector.

Charities voice fears for supported accommodation

07/10/2011

The government must maintain the housing safety net for the most vulnerable people in society, according to a coalition of charities and housing organisations.

Facing the future

07/10/2011

Riots, job shortages - it’s been a tough summer for young people. Martin Hilditch investigates how one housing association is helping

Modern slavery

07/10/2011

Human trafficking must be kept on the public agenda if victims are to receive the support they need

Welsh promise

04/10/2011

Its budget day in Wales, and for councils and housing providers, that means nails bitten to the quick as inevitable cuts are unveiled in the Senedd.

Homelessness charity staff threaten to strike

30/09/2011

Staff at one of the UK’s leading homelessness charities are threatening strike action over new working conditions.

Lib Dem peers call for increased benefit caps

30/09/2011

Rebellious Liberal Democrat peers are demanding that benefit caps are increased by more than £5,000 a year.

Labour opposed to underoccupation cut

28/09/2011

The Labour Party has said it would not have introduced cuts to housing benefits for people deemed to be underoccupying their home.

Miliband's housing plans come under fire

28/09/2011

Labour plans to change the way social housing is allocated have been criticised by party members and housing bodies.

Labour leader takes hard line on benefits

27/09/2011

The Labour leader has attacked people who spend a lifetime on benefits and said it is often too easy not to work.

Mencap study identifies housing shortage

27/09/2011

Adults with a learning disability may be forced to live with their parents long into their adult lives due to a lack of suitable housing, according to research.

Getting creative

23/09/2011

Supporting People funding cuts are a challenge but the sector must work together to meet them head on

Universal challenge

23/09/2011

Six pilot schemes will test direct payment of housing benefit to tenants. Here, Nick Duxbury leaps into the future to reveal to welfare reform minister Lord David Freud what the results might be

Clegg ends conference with rehabilitation pledge

21/09/2011

The deputy prime minister has pledged to tackle gang culture and usher in a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ in the wake of the English riots.

Lib Dems to produce separate housing strategy

20/09/2011

The Liberal Democrats will go into the next election with its own ideas on housing strategy, a backbench MP has said.

Better together

20/09/2011

Getting homelessness agencies to work more closely with the criminal justice system could cut costs and benefit society, argues Alice Evans

Minister pledges support for advice services

19/09/2011

Early intervention is key to tackling homelessness in Wales, the Welsh housing minister has said.

Homeless households rise 17 per cent in 12 months

16/09/2011

The number of homeless households will continue to rise as the economic downturn and benefit reforms bite, according to new research.

Council preparing for 25% leap in homelessness

15/09/2011

A council is preparing for homelessness to increase by at least a quarter as a result of changes to Local Housing Allowance.

Direct action

14/09/2011

The concessions on direct payment of housing benefit announced by Lord Freud are welcome news. If only the same could be said for the rest of the Welfare Reform Bill.

Extra care provides health boost for residents, says report

13/09/2011

Residents in extra care housing are less likely to end up living in institutional accommodation, new research has revealed.

Overcrowding board to reach beyond housing

09/09/2011

Health officials could sit alongside housing sector figures on a new board to monitor overcrowding in the capital, the advisor to the Mayor of London has said.

Rogue traders

09/09/2011

A recent exposé of private sector landlords revealed exploitation is rife. We must put a stop to this now

Tackling the crisis

09/09/2011

New Zealand is famous for rugby, but its housing shortage deserves more attention

Travellers urge supporters to prevent eviction

05/09/2011

Traveller families set to be kicked out of their site in Essex have urged supporters to set up camp to stop the eviction.

Benefit cuts to widen rich-poor gap

02/09/2011

Reforms of the housing benefit system are likely to heighten the gap between Britain’s richest and poorest areas, according to academics.

Down, but not out

02/09/2011

A pilot scheme to stop first-time rough sleepers spending a second night on the street has been so successful it could be rolled out nationwide. Martin Hilditch reports

Homeless could live in boats and caravans

02/09/2011

English councils will be allowed to house homeless people in caravans and houseboats from next year, the Communities and Local Government department has said.

Travellers 'tense' as final legal challenge launched

31/08/2011

Travellers have launched a final bid to delay a council’s attempt to evict them from their homes.

Local problem

30/08/2011

It sounded like there was disagreement in the top rank of government.

Private cash scheme to help deprived families

30/08/2011

The government hopes to raise up to £40 million in private finance to fund social intervention projects as part of a new pilot scheme.

Deputy PM challenges Shapps over budget cuts

26/08/2011

The deputy prime minister has warned housing minister Grant Shapps that council cuts to supported housing budgets in England are causing vital services for vulnerable people to be scrapped.

Rhetoric and reality

25/08/2011

Family intervention seems certain to form a key part of the response to the riots - but is the government doing enough?

Council support for homeless families on the rise

23/08/2011

Local authority homelessness prevention cases increased by 16 per cent this year, according to government statistics.

No room for manoeuvre

22/08/2011

Affordable rent isn’t affordable. That seems to be the message emerging from studies into the impact of the government’s new regime.

Care giant pays £24,500 over bungled home closure

19/08/2011

One of England’s largest providers of care and support for older people has been found guilty of maladministration and paid out £24,500 because it failed to consult elderly residents about its plans to close a retirement home.

Intervention surge predicted

19/08/2011

Social landlords could be pressed to make greater use of family intervention projects as the government seeks to address social problems behind last week’s riots in England.

Millions of renters at risk of homelessness

16/08/2011

Nearly three million renters are struggling to pay their bills, putting them at risk of homelessness, a charity has warned.

Cameron pledges to help troubled families as Miliband attacks

15/08/2011

The Prime Minister has promised to ‘turn around’ the lives of the most troubled families in the UK following the riots across the country last week.

Unite calls on duke to save Centrepoint staff

12/08/2011

A trade union plans to ask the Duke of Cambridge for cash to prevent pay and job cuts at a homelessness charity he supports.

Homelessness charity volunteer accused of looting

11/08/2011

A homelessness charity volunteer has been charged with burglary following a riot in Lewisham.

Threat of violence closes rough sleeping service

09/08/2011

A London homelessness charity has been forced to close early and abandon its late night rough sleeping rescue service as the city braces for another night of violence.

Housing legal advice service closes

05/08/2011

The UK’s largest not-for-profit provider of debt, housing employment and care legal advice has gone bust.

Evasive action

05/08/2011

The lack of scrutiny given to the Localism Bill threatens the rights of the homeless

Wind of change

05/08/2011

A host of new laws are set to change the landscape for Welsh social landlords. Michael Northcott reports

Contractor buys struggling home care business

04/08/2011

Social housing firm Mears has increased its involvement in the care and support sector with a £7.4 million acquisition.

Housing charities suffer £7 million hit

02/08/2011

Councils have cut more than £7 million from homelessness and housing services, according to the latest figures.

Housing charities face council funding cuts

02/08/2011

Housing charities are among more than 2,000 organisations facing budget cuts as local authorities reduce their funding, research has found.

Cash boost for repossession help service

01/08/2011

The Northern Ireland housing minister has announced a £500,000 fund to help people at risk of losing their home.

Turning the tables

29/07/2011

Whitehall plans to reform supported housing have raised the spectre of providers begging their own tenants for cash. Martin Hilditch reports

Missing link

28/07/2011

There was an intriguing glimpse into the Labour rethink of the welfare state on Newsnight last night, one dominated by images of something that was barely mentioned by anyone in the programme.

Adapt and conquer

22/07/2011

The debate on care excludes housing to a dangerous extent

No more support

22/07/2011

With all the political theatrics which unfolded in Westminster this week you’d be forgiven for missing the government’s latest plans for housing benefit reform.

Supported housing investigation launched

22/07/2011

The government has launched an investigation into the level of service charges levied by supported housing providers, after becoming concerned that some were inflating costs.

High Court to hear housing benefit challenge

21/07/2011

A High Court challenge against the legality of housing benefits cuts is due to be heard today.

Homeless granted shared room rate exemption

20/07/2011

The government has granted some homeless people an exemption from controversial housing benefit changes.

Housing benefit reform legislation delayed

15/07/2011

Legislation that will allow controversial reforms of housing benefit to go ahead has been delayed until the autumn.

MP calls for £200m fund

15/07/2011

A £200 million fund to support children from deprived backgrounds should be created using private investment, an MP has recommended.

Residents reassured over Southern Cross

13/07/2011

Liverpool Council has reassured residents of troubled care home Southern Cross that their future is secure.

Call made for providers to have greater role in dementia care

12/07/2011

An organisation has called for a greater role for specialist housing providers when dealing with people with dementia as a report says £1 billion could be freed up for community services by reducing hospital beds.

Campaign group demands care alternative

11/07/2011

A campaign group has written to every MP in the country calling for community-based supported living services to replace institutional services for people with learning disabilities.

Bright ideas

08/07/2011

Elderly and disabled people don’t have to live with ugly adaptations to their homes. Katie Puckett finds out about a contest shining a light on good design

Dilnot: associations to play larger care role

08/07/2011

Proposed changes to the way social care for adults is funded could lead to housing associations offering care services to private homeowners, housing experts have predicted.

Fear and love in south London

08/07/2011

Persuading a homeless person to turn their life around is as much about belief and love as bricks and mortar, says Jeremy Swain

Support on a shoestring

08/07/2011

Budgets are being slashed and demand is up but, as Inside Housing and Capita’s exclusive Supporting People survey reveals, many care and support providers are maintaining services for vulnerable people. Lydia Stockdale finds out how they are doing it and if it can last.

Former minister questions removal of Supporting People ring fence

07/07/2011

A former housing minister whose own government removed the ring-fence around Supporting People funds has suggested it may not be correct in the current climate.

Watchdog warns councils are failing homeless

06/07/2011

A watchdog has warned councils are not doing enough to prevent homelessness and are failing to provide interim accommodation for those in priority need.

New chief executive announced for homeless charity

05/07/2011

A homeless charity has appointed a new chief executive.

Dunce’s cap

04/07/2011

The leaked letter from Eric Pickles is shocking on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to begin.

Dilnot report into funding care to suggest cap on costs

04/07/2011

A report on the future of funding care and support which is published today will suggest a £35,000 cap on care costs for individuals.

Cuts stopping homeless receiving vital help, claims report

01/07/2011

Government cuts are preventing homeless people from getting the help they need and are affecting frontline services in support, a new report reveals.

Pushed out

01/07/2011

Changes to the shared accommodation rate will force thousands of vulnerable people out of their one-bedroom flats and into houseshares. Emily Rogers investigates the impact

Housing must be priority in supporting vulnerable children argues CIH

30/06/2011

Housing providers must be seen as key agencies in the support of vulnerable adults and children to ensure tragedies such as Ryan Lovell-Hancox do not happen again, the Chartered Institute of Housing has said.

Top to bottom

28/06/2011

The impact on private finance has understandably dominated the debate about direct payment of housing benefit so far but it’s just one of the issues facing social landlords and tenants.

Benefit changes to hit one in five tenants

27/06/2011

One in five Scottish tenants will lose income as a result of benefit changes, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has warned.

Homelessness in Wales on the rise

24/06/2011

The number of homeless households in Wales has risen by 13 per cent from last year with things set to get worse, Shelter Cymru has said.

Keeping tenants in mind

24/06/2011

A recent ruling means landlords of supported living schemes could be denied benefit cash, says John Wearing, partner at Anthony Collins Solicitors

Supporting People funds aligned to performance

24/06/2011

Supported housing providers could be forced to cut services because of plans to withhold contractual payments until they can prove how good they are.

Shapps: affordable rent is here to stay

23/06/2011

The housing minister has insisted the affordable rent regime is here to stay, despite accusations that it is unsustainable.

Housing providers should be on health boards argues CIH

22/06/2011

The Chartered Institute of Housing has issued new calls for housing providers to be mandatory members of new health and wellbeing boards.

Going spare

21/06/2011

The more the implications of the cut in housing benefit for under-occupying social tenants sink in, the less it makes any kind of sense.

Shortlist announced for homelessness awards

20/06/2011

Six projects working with homeless people will win a share of more than £50,000 after being shortlisted for the Andy Ludlow awards.

Behind the headlines

17/06/2011

News stories about funding cuts to homelessness services are everywhere, but how are they affecting those at the sharp end? Rough sleeper Aibaihe gives the view from the street

People power

17/06/2011

In one sense, the headline finding from our exclusive poll with Ipsos Mori this week that three in five people oppose housing benefit cuts if the result is increased homelessness is good news.

Right out of left Field

17/06/2011

Frank Field is a Labour MP with right-wing views. He’s also the coalition’s poverty czar. Here Lydia Stockdale finds out what he thinks of its housing benefit reforms

True to their word?

17/06/2011

Last year the Chartered Institute of Housing’s inaugral Housing Pact asked for a series of commitments from the government and set out what the sector would do in return. Twelve months on, Sarah Davis examines which pledges were kept

£1.5 million care grant released to help older people stay independent at home

16/06/2011

Care and repair services in Wales will benefit from an extra £1.5 million to help older people remain independent in their homes.

Housing association fits two-room adaption for disabled boy

14/06/2011

A housing association has adapted a disabled boy’s home by fitting a two-room extension tailored to the youngster’s needs.

Homelessness up by 18 per cent

10/06/2011

The number of households accepted as homeless in England jumped by nearly a fifth in the last year, government figures show.

Appy days

10/06/2011

A fortnight ago you met them. Now it’s time to discover what they can do. We challenged the five finalists in the Rising Stars contest - Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing’s bid to find housing’s top talent - to design a phone app which would improve life for them, their employer, their residents - or all three. Here’s what they came up with.

London council pact to protect children

10/06/2011

Councils in London are drawing up an agreement to stop vulnerable families in social housing being placed outside their home boroughs as town halls try to save money.

Play your cards right

10/06/2011

A new card game is helping older tenants rate their service

Ups and downs

09/06/2011

The first month of the housing benefit cuts saw private sector rents rising across the country and soaring in London and the South East, according to a survey out today.

DWP criticised for ignoring localism drive

09/06/2011

MPs have criticised the Department for Work and Pensions for ignoring the government’s localism policy when developing its benefit reforms.

Seconds out

08/06/2011

Significant Liberal Democrat and Crossbench concern about reforms to social housing tenure and the homelessness legislation indicates that the government is not going to have things all its own way in the House of Lords.

Quarter of homelessness enquiries to charity from under-25s

07/06/2011

One in four homelessness enquiries to Citizens Advice are from people under 25, the charity has revealed.

Housing support services lose thousands of users

03/06/2011

Thousands fewer people used housing-related support services in 2010/11 than during the previous year.

Out of reach

03/06/2011

Housing staff are being urged to keep a closer eye on vulnerable children as benefit caps threaten to uproot their families. Keith Cooper reports

Take care

03/06/2011

The travails of private residential care home provider Southern Cross have hit the business headlines in recent weeks.

Thousands of elderly people not receiving right support claims charity

31/05/2011

Around 800,000 elderly people are not getting the social care support they need, and that figure could rise to one million people within four years, according to Age UK.

Ripping off the band aid

27/05/2011

A day in the life of a lawyer who works with people in housing need: Peter Szoltysek reveals how cuts to legal aid will hit his clients

Rescue call

25/05/2011

Today’s criticism of the mortgage rescue scheme by the National Audit Office got me wondering about the value of all the other initiatives to support vulnerable homeowners through the recession.

A smart idea?

20/05/2011

The Big Issue is moving into the digital age with plans to equip its street vendors with smart phones and turn them into citizen journalists. Nick Duxbury hits the streets to find out if it can work

Unemployed to join homeless selling Big Issue

19/05/2011

A magazine launched to provide jobs for homeless people is allowing the unemployed to take part.

Lib Dems demand changes to workless benefit cap

18/05/2011

Liberal Democrat MPs have demanded the government re-think its plans for a cap on the amount of benefits workless families receive.

Campaigners push for Localism Bill changes

16/05/2011

Campaigners are urging tenants to lobby their MPs to object to key housing reforms due to be debated in parliament this week.

Building brain wave

13/05/2011

A new housing project in Glasgow will offer a haven to the increasing number of people in the city living with alcohol-related brain damage. Clare Harris reports

Homeless steal and sell body for shelter

13/05/2011

Single homeless people in England are turning to prostitution and crime so they can afford a bed for the night, a survey has found.

Who benefits?

13/05/2011

Despite the scrapping of the worker registration scheme, benefits remain dependent on work status

Tenants fight under occupancy benefit cut

12/05/2011

A group of housing association tenants have launched a campaign calling on the government to scrap plans to cut housing benefit for claimants who under occupy their homes.

Adult care branded 'outdated and flawed' by Law Commission

11/05/2011

Older people will be guaranteed a minimum level of council support under plans to overhaul the adult social care system.

Clegg promises to help refugees

11/05/2011

The deputy prime minister has pledged to support people from across the globe seeking refuge in the UK.

Police ASB powers could harm children

09/05/2011

Vulnerable children could be exposed to greater danger if government plans to curb anti-social behaviour go ahead, a children’s charity has warned.

Going by the book

06/05/2011

Redundancy terms for Supporting People staff must comply with the law, says Natasha Halliday

Under pressure

04/05/2011

April 2013 may seem like a long way off but yesterday’s committee debate on the Welfare Reform Bill offered a glimpse of the scale of the problems the housing benefit cut for under-occupiers of working age in the social sector is going to cause for tenants and landlords.

Homeless charity's offices hit by fire

03/05/2011

The charity Shelter Scotland has found itself temporarily homeless after a major fire at its Edinburgh branch.

BME tenants ‘get a raw deal from benefit cuts’

28/04/2011

Housing benefit cuts will disproportionately harm black and minority ethnic families, according to the first study to assess their impact on the BME community.

Care for elderly to spiral with cuts

26/04/2011

Elderly and vulnerable people will face increased costs to their care as councils face budget cuts.

Crowded house

21/04/2011

Forcing vulnerable people to share a home by cutting housing benefits could push them back on to the streets

Homelessness services ‘shrinking’ as cuts bite

21/04/2011

More than a quarter of hostels and day centres turned homeless people away last year because they were full.

Plea to axe council duty to draw up rough sleeping strategies

21/04/2011

Hammersmith & Fulham Council will this week ask the government to remove its obligation to draw up homelessness and rough sleeping strategies.

Council tackles homelessness with private renting scheme

19/04/2011

Winchester Council is linking with private landlords to tackle homelessness.

Extra care partnerships should help elderly

18/04/2011

Housing experts have called for more effective partnership working to meet the needs of an ageing population.

Adaptations funding cut ‘short sighted’

15/04/2011

A Scottish housing association has spoken out against government cuts to adaptations funding.

£168m ‘cost of bad housing’

15/04/2011

Poor housing in Wales costs the NHS £67 million a year, according to new research.

Home economics

15/04/2011

Home Office cuts to accommodation contracts next year could see hundreds of asylum seekers forced from their homes into the private sector. Martin Hilditch investigates

Trafficking project faces cuts after funding loss

13/04/2011

A highly-regarded project working with women who are victims of human trafficking is facing cutbacks after losing central government funding.

Scottish Labour party releases manifesto

08/04/2011

The Scottish Labour party has promised secure and affordable homes for tenants in its party manifesto.

Asylum housing budget slashed by almost £30m

08/04/2011

The UK Border Agency is to slash the amount of money it spends on providing housing for asylum seekers by 17 per cent next year.

Centre of attention

08/04/2011

Last week a young girl was shot in a south London shop. Nick Duxbury visits a nearby estate to find out if new anti-social behaviour powers can stamp out the area’s growing gang culture.

Dark day for housing services

08/04/2011

Housing professionals have experienced the bleakest week for a generation as hundreds of projects closed or had their funding slashed.

When the last race is run

08/04/2011

The racing industry is close-knit and its people want to continue living together long after their final furlong. Emily Rogers studies the form guide of a specialist landlord that is making this wish a reality

Managing risks

06/04/2011

The 2010 comprehensive spending review resulted in a radical change in how government helps to support the delivery of new affordable homes and promised to give housing associations the freedoms they need to innovate and deliver effectively.

Benefit cuts will aid social mobility, government claims

06/04/2011

The government has unveiled a new child poverty strategy which claims reforms to housing benefit and social housing will increase social mobility.

Sickness benefit crackdown begins

05/04/2011

Ministers have launched their crackdown on sickness benefits, claiming half a million claimants could be ready to return to work straight away.

Choice based lettings a 'cause of ethnic segregation'

04/04/2011

Choice based lettings has become a major cause of ethnic segregation in England, despite being set up to encourage mixed communities.

Care and a community

01/04/2011

What does it take to be the best older people’s extra care scheme in the country? Lydia Stockdale takes a look at Waverley Gardens in Bristol, which has just won the accolade, to find out

Housing minister releases charity CD with The Clash

01/04/2011

Housing minister Grant Shapps is to release a charity version of The Clash’s ‘Should I stay or should I go?’ to publicise the government’s housing benefit reforms.

Tenants forced to grow cannabis

01/04/2011

Loan sharks are forcing social housing tenants to convert rooms into cannabis farms when they are unable to make repayments.

Shelter: government needs to protect tenants in PRS

30/03/2011

Shelter is calling on the government to give tenants in the private rented sector more protection as it reports a surge in problems with landlords.

Affordable rent will cause most upheaval

29/03/2011

Housing groups believe affordable rent will have the most significant impact of the government’s social housing reforms, a survey has found.

Shared room rate to be brought forward

28/03/2011

Welfare reforms that opponents claim will put young people at risk of homelessness are to be brought forward by three months, the government announced today.

Lack of smaller homes for housing benefit changes

28/03/2011

Social landlords do not have enough smaller properties to accommodate tenants whose housing benefit is cut because they are underoccupying their homes.

Housing groups to march against public sector cuts

25/03/2011

Representatives from several housing organisations will be amongst the thousands of public sector workers and tenants expectd to march through London tomorrow to oppose government cuts.

A healthy home

25/03/2011

Cases of tuberculosis are at their highest level in decades but landlords can help prevent the disease

Benefit cut will aid minorities

25/03/2011

The head of Britain’s equalities watchdog has suggested housing benefit cuts could help black and ethnic minority families.

Shapps and landlords unite in cuts letter

25/03/2011

Housing associations have joined housing minister Grant Shapps in an attack on ‘disproportionate’ cuts to Supporting People programmes.

Orr: ministers want to keep direct payments

24/03/2011

Work and pensions ministers are keen to explore ways of keeping direct payment of housing benefit to landlords, the head of the National Housing Federation has said.

Nottingham SP judicial review rejected

24/03/2011

A judicial review request to challenge Supporting People cuts made by Nottingham Council has been turned down by a High Court judge.

Osborne unveils £250m shared equity scheme

23/03/2011

The chancellor has announced a £250 million relaunch of the government’s low cost homeownership scheme.

One in six homeless hostel beds under threat

22/03/2011

Supporting People cuts could lead to one in six of England’s homeless hostel beds becoming unavailable from April, Homeless Link has warned.

£1m package to tackle ASB

21/03/2011

The Home Secretary will today announce a £1 million funding package to help victims of anti-social behaviour.

Scotland faces welfare reform problems

18/03/2011

Housing benefit and welfare changes could cause huge administrative problems for Scotland, a consultant has warned.

Give us our money

18/03/2011

Nottingham City Homes was pledged £165 million for its decent homes programme. When that figure came under threat a group of tenants went to the prime minister with a very clear message.

Terms of reference set for benefit review

15/03/2011

The government has set out the terms of reference for an independent review of housing benefit cuts.

Council warns £109m cuts will hit vulnerable

14/03/2011

Manchester Council has approved a £109 million cut to its budget, despite opposition from protesters.

DWP considering impact of direct payments

11/03/2011

A senior Department for Work and Pensions official has admitted proposed changes to the way benefits are paid could harm social landlords.

Landlords face increasing legal challenges, warns tenants' champion

11/03/2011

The introduction of flexible tenancies and housing benefit changes will increasingly lead to legal challenges from tenants, according to Cora Carter.

Legal showdown looms as Broxtowe fights SP cuts

11/03/2011

Broxtowe Council is planning to launch legal action against Nottinghamshire Council to prevent the county authority slashing its budget for supported housing.

Liverpool demands £11m from Shapps to make up SP shortfall

11/03/2011

Liverpool Council is demanding £11 million from the housing minister after he boasted of being so confident it had not received a huge Supporting People budget cut he would fund any shortfall himself.

Richer tenants to be targeted

11/03/2011

Housing associations are considering only letting affordable rent properties to tenants who can afford to pay the rent without help from housing benefit, the Chartered Institute of Housing has warned.

Removing secure tenancies 'undermines big society'

10/03/2011

The government is undermining the big society through its policies including the removal of secure tenancies, according to journalist Rod Liddle.

IDS promises help to families hit by benefit cap

09/03/2011

Families hit by the government’s £26,000 benefits cap for workless households will receive ‘intense’ help to prevent them losing their homes, the work and pensions secretary promised today.

Welsh assembly gets greater powers over housing

07/03/2011

The Welsh Assembly Government has won the power to legislate over a number of areas including the ability to abolish the right to buy.

Liam Byrne to lead Labour welfare review

04/03/2011

Liam Byrne is to lead a review of Labour’s policy on welfare reform focusing on getting people back into work.

The self-start guru

04/03/2011

As the UK unemployment crisis deepens Paul Funnell of Aspire Foundation is teaching social tenants and homeless people how to start their own businesses. Simon Brandon finds out more

Councils allocated £180m for home adaptations

03/03/2011

Councils in England will be given £180 million to help them fund home adaptations, the government has confirmed.

Housing support fails young offenders

01/03/2011

Providing support and accommodation for a young ex-offender can create savings of more than £67,000 over three years, a report has found.

National survey shows housing benefit rise

25/02/2011

The number of households receiving housing benefit has increased, according to government statistics.

Councils have way to go to implement 2012 target

25/02/2011

Scottish councils are a way off hitting the ambitious target of abolishing homelessness by 2012, new research has indicated.

Slough finds 2,500 ‘sheds with beds’

24/02/2011

Slough Council has reported finding 2,500 squalid outhouses at the back of homes so far in its on-going battle against the problem.

Third of tenants face underoccupancy cut

18/02/2011

Cutting housing benefit for working-age tenants who underoccupy their homes will affect around a third of those living in social housing, the government has revealed.

Welfare reforms will limit direct payments

18/02/2011

Social landlords will only be able to claim direct payments of housing benefit for vulnerable tenants, the Department for Work and Pensions revealed last night.

Government revises benefit cuts for unemployed

17/02/2011

The government is expected to change a controversial cut to housing benefit when it reveals sweeping reforms to welfare later today.

Homeless charities to cut services

16/02/2011

Nearly half of homelessness charities are planning to reduce their support services as they face a 30 per cent cut to funding, Homeless Link research suggests.

Scottish benefit claimants to lose £80m

14/02/2011

Low-income households in Scotland will lose more than £80 million in support because of the UK government’s housing benefit changes, a report has warned.

Repossessions fall to three-year low

10/02/2011

Repossessions have fallen to a three-year low, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

IDS stands by benefit cuts for unemployed

09/02/2011

Cutting housing benefit for unemployed people will encourage them to return to work, the work and pensions secretary has claimed today.

Legal aid cuts risk homelessness

08/02/2011

MPs have been warned that proposed legal aid cuts will result in vulnerable people losing their homes.

Charity warns asylum cuts will increase destitution

04/02/2011

Severe cuts to the Refugee Council’s funding will lead to an increased number of destitute refugees, the charity has warned.

Charities condemn decision to axe £130m debt advice service

04/02/2011

The government’s decision to scrap its £130 million debt advice service risks increasing homelessness, charities have warned.

In the grip

04/02/2011

The government might be pushing its localist agenda with one hand but arguments over Supporting People budgets reveal it is finding it difficult to relinquish control of councils with the other. Rhiannon Bury investigates

Strategy gaps blight housing for elderly

04/02/2011

More than a third of local authorities lack a blueprint for housing older people, research by the National Housing Federation has indicated.

Homelessness up 25% in rural areas

02/02/2011

Homeless acceptances in rural areas of England have increased by 25 per cent in the last year.

Threat of violence justifies homelessness claim

31/01/2011

The Supreme Court has ruled a local authority should consider someone fleeing threats of domestic violence as homeless.

A better support system?

28/01/2011

Funding Supporting People has never been easy.

Lobbyists win welfare review

28/01/2011

Critics who claim the government’s controversial housing benefit reforms will lead to an increase in homelessness are to use an independent review to force ministers to re-think cuts.

Brighton promises to protect services

27/01/2011

Brighton and Hove Council has announced it will protect its services for vulnerable people by keeping cuts to a minimum.

MPs oppose benefit cuts for unemployed

27/01/2011

More than 50 MPs have signed a petition calling for the government to drop plans to cut housing benefit for the unemployed.

UKBA delays termination of asylum contract

26/01/2011

The UK Border Agency has extended Glasgow Council’s contract to house asylum seekers, which was due to be terminated on 2 February.

Shapps warns councils to protect homeless

26/01/2011

Housing minister Grant Shapps is to meet with local government representatives to discuss how to safeguard services for vulnerable people.

Lords seek to block housing benefit cuts

24/01/2011

Peers will tonight debate whether to scrap the government’s housing benefit cuts.

Avoiding the benefit trap

21/01/2011

A new initiative is helping youngsters on benefits get back into work by offering them low-cost rental accommodation. Lydia Stockdale finds out how the scheme works

Rok ‘n’ new role man

21/01/2011

Thousands of maintenance staff lost their jobs following the collapse of two major housing contractors last year. Former Rok employee Allan Jones was one of the lucky ones - a housing association stepped in to take him on. Here he describes the experience.

Shelter intervenes in teenage care case

21/01/2011

Homelessness charity Shelter has intervened in a Court of Appeal case in which Lambeth Council is accused of failing to protect a homeless teenager.

Weed ‘em and reap

21/01/2011

Improving open spaces can improve health and wellbeing, curb anti-social behaviour, encourage residents to interact and create jobs. Simon Brandon finds out how the green-fingered approach works.

Minister apologises for 'distressing' asylum seeker letter

20/01/2011

The immigration minister has apologised for an ‘inappropriate’ letter which demanded asylum seekers in Glasgow leave their homes in a matter of days.

Carbon monoxide death inquest opens

19/01/2011

The inquest for a worker thought to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a housing association property was opened and adjourned this week.

Technology saves care home from Supporting People cuts

18/01/2011

A housing association has saved an extra care scheme by replacing on-site care staff with cameras and alarms.

Charity loses deputy CEO

17/01/2011

Kent-based homelessness charity Porchlight is to lose its long-serving deputy chief executive Rachel Holliday in March as part of a restructuring process.

Disaster aversion

14/01/2011

The effects of environmental disasters are one of the biggest threats to mankind, leaving behind devastating human, structural and economic losses. Disasters disproportionately affect the poorest people in developing countries and pose a huge threat to long-term development.

Readers dig deep for charities

14/01/2011

People in housing difficulty will now get more help, thanks to Inside Housing readers.

Social duty

14/01/2011

The government deserves credit for two decisions this week on anti-social behaviour.

What’s your vision?

14/01/2011

Thirty-six years in social housing gives me a long perspective on the greatest changes. The 1974 Housing Act created the housing association sector in its present form. The 1980s saw the introduction of the right to buy, compulsory competitive tendering, stock transfer, shared ownership and private finance.

Fast-track evictions unlikely to work, says housing association

13/01/2011

The government’s plans to allow social landlords to fast-track evictions is unlikely to work because of recent case law, says Riverside Housing Association.

Housing benefit cuts endanger Scottish homelessness pledge

13/01/2011

The Westminster government’s controversial housing benefit reforms risk scuppering Holyrood’s pledge to end homelessness in the country by 2012.

Call to sell unwanted Christmas gifts for homeless young

12/01/2011

A charity is calling for people to sell unwanted Christmas gifts on ebay for the benefit of young homeless people.

Government reveals plans to evict ASB tenants more quickly

11/01/2011

Landlords could be able to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour more quickly and easily in plans outlined by housing minister Grant Shapps today.

Welsh council sets up own estate agency

10/01/2011

A council in Wales has set up an estate and lettings agency to bring in cash to the council and help the homeless.

Six evacuated from Housing Executive flat fire

10/01/2011

Six people have been rescued after a fire in a Northern Ireland Housing Executive tower block in Belfast.

Anchor to drop agency services

07/01/2011

Anchor Trust is to sell its network of home improvement agencies to a private contractor for a nominal fee.

Emergency rescue

07/01/2011

When the temperature dips below zero, London’s homelessness charities swing into action to bring rough sleepers in from the cold. Stuart Macdonald witnesses their life-saving work first-hand as he tweets his way through a street rescue night shift

Looking ahead

07/01/2011

As Inside Housing has asked a group of chief executives to peer into the murk of 2011 and conjure up some predictions for the changing shape of housing over the next 12 months, it seems only fair that I put my own neck on the line. So here goes:

Who cares?

07/01/2011

Almost three years after a landmark ruling on how homeless 16 and 17-year-olds should be housed and supported, exclusive freedom of information research by Inside Housing reveals many councils are still falling short of the mark. Emily Twinch investigates

Third sector cuts threaten big society

04/01/2011

Cuts to public spending could undermine the big society initiative, the prime minister has been warned.

Catching up with subletters

23/12/2010

Earlier this month the government announced its latest crackdown on unlawful subletting. Here Emma Vick, counter fraud team manager in Newham, explains how her authority has been tackling the problem

Minister says benefit cuts ‘unsupportable’

22/12/2010

A Liberal Democrat minister has been caught describing cuts to housing benefit as ‘deeply unacceptable’.

MPs question housing benefit savings

22/12/2010

A cross-party group of MPs has questioned whether the government’s housing benefit reforms will deliver the intended savings.

Labour loses housing benefit fight

21/12/2010

Labour’s bid to derail the government’s controversial housing benefit reforms has ended in failure.

Housing sector rejects fixed-term tenancies, says report

20/12/2010

Almost three quarters of housing professional said they do not support the government’s plan for fixed-term tenancies, a report has suggested.

Crisis criticises government

17/12/2010

The coalition government’s reform programme ‘presents significant challenges’ to progress made by the homelessness sector over the past decade, a report from homelessness charity Crisis has suggested.

Ghost of Christmas past

17/12/2010

Should housing officers step in to help lonely and vulnerable tenants, asks Inside Housing’s anonymous columnist

Reaching out

17/12/2010

Last Tuesday homelessness charity Thames Reach was kind enough to invite me to join one of its London street rescue outreach teams for the night.

Services in London to lose £13.1 million

17/12/2010

London Councils will withdraw funding from all but five of the 33 front line homelessness services it commissions next year.

The year that changed social housing forever

17/12/2010

With a new government, massive reforms and brutal cuts, the past 12 months has seen unprecedented change to the social housing landscape. Inside Housing looks back at the major events of 2010

Government freezes warm homes scheme

16/12/2010

The government’s warm front fund will not take any more applications this year, despite warnings from the Met Office of another big freeze.

Localism Bill pushes homeless into private sector

15/12/2010

Powers to stop homeless people refusing private sector housing have been published in the Localism Bill.

Charity warns of ‘surge’ in homelessness

15/12/2010

Shelter has warned homelessness could be about to soar, after research showed rising numbers of households are in rent or mortgage arrears.

Funding cuts may undermine Localism Bill

13/12/2010

Local government funding cuts due to be announced today could undermine the objectives of the Localism Bill, a think tank has warned.

Crucial rights case in EU court

10/12/2010

The UK government has been caught up in an embarrassing human rights case over claims it failed to prevent a vulnerable family suffering inhumane and degrading treatment.

Lib Dem peers to fight housing benefit cutbacks

10/12/2010

Liberal Democrat peers will rebel against the coalition’s cuts to housing benefit for unemployed tenants, according to the party’s former work and pensions spokesperson.

Claimants can keep benefit overpayments

09/12/2010

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot sue benefit claimants for money it has wrongly overpaid them.

Supported housing groups rejoin NHF

07/12/2010

Two housing providers who left the National Housing Federation after arguing its remit was too narrow have rejoined the organisation.

Poverty report highlights overcrowding

06/12/2010

A report commissioned by the prime minister into children’s life chances has presented overcrowded housing as a key indicator of poverty.

Benefit reform delays fail to counter Lib Dem revolt

03/12/2010

Delays to housing benefit reforms announced this week by the Department for Work and Pensions have failed to stem a rebellion among backbench Liberal Democrat MPs and peers.

Division over effect of affordable rents on benefit bill

03/12/2010

The prime minister and the communities minister appear divided over how much the government’s tenure reforms will hit the housing benefit bill.

Doorway to a life indoors

03/12/2010

A project giving homeless people cash to spend as they wish is helping to get them off the streets. Katie Puckett reports

Scottish Gypsy sites ‘must be improved’

03/12/2010

Scottish Councils are being pressed by a human rights group to improve provision for Gypsies and Travellers amid concerns that increasing numbers are fleeing England.

Charity welcomes super strength tax rise

01/12/2010

Homelessness charity Thames Reach has welcomed government moves to increase the price of super-strength beers.

Government set to delay benefit cuts

29/11/2010

The government is expected to make a vital concession in its cuts to housing benefit this week by delaying the cuts for existing private sector claimants.

The great divide

26/11/2010

The government’s housing policy will lead to a bigger wedge being driven between rich and poor, says Jon Cruddas

Homeless man saves woman from drowning

24/11/2010

A homeless man risked his life by leaping into the River Thames to save a young woman from drowning.

Advice agency sees surge in housing queries

23/11/2010

General housing enquiries to the Citizens Advice Bureau are up 14 per cent on last year, fuelled by an increase in homelessness worries.

Homeless to be placed in private sector

22/11/2010

Councils will be able to insist priority need homeless people accept private sector housing under government proposals.

Eyes on the price

19/11/2010

It is welcome news that the government intends to ensure the housing benefit proportion of the new universal credit will be paid direct to social landlords.

Landlords seek clarity on direct payments

19/11/2010

Social landlords are seeking clarity on whether benefit reforms will see them issued with payments directly.

Stop at the red light

19/11/2010

A project in Leeds is helping to house the city’s sex workers and turn their lives around. Helen Clifton reports

Time to celebrate

19/11/2010

Revealing the victors of the 2010 UK Housing Awards

Council sticks with care home plans

18/11/2010

A council in Wales is ploughing ahead with plans to replace its current care homes with four ‘super’ residential homes.

Elderly given control of care budgets

17/11/2010

A million adults will receive personal budgets to spend on services they need, as part of the government vision for adult social care.

Housing advice faces legal aid cut

16/11/2010

Housing is among the raft of areas which will lose out in the government’s plans to bring down the £2 billion legal aid bill.

Low rates help keep repossessions down

15/11/2010

Repossessions are down 27 per cent on last year, according to Council of Mortgage Lenders figures.

Drink warning for homeless migrants

12/11/2010

The UK faces a growing problem from hard-drinking eastern European rough sleepers unless action is taken now, a new report has warned.

Radical change threatens rents

12/11/2010

Ministers plan to enlarge the areas used to calculate housing benefit payments for private tenants.

Support our charities this festive season

12/11/2010

Inside Housing this week launches its Christmas appeal designed to help some of the UK’s most important causes during the current turbulent economic times.

Glasgow asylum deal terminated

11/11/2010

Hundreds of asylum seekers in Glasgow will have to be rehoused after the government terminated its contract with Glasgow Council to provide them accommodation.

Homeowners struggle with mortgage costs

11/11/2010

The number of homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage has nearly doubled over the past year, according to figures from housing charity Shelter.

Labour fails to force housing benefit rethink

10/11/2010

Labour MPs failed in a bid to force the government to modify its plans for housing benefit reform last night.

Labour 'not against' housing benefit caps

09/11/2010

Shadow work and pensions minister Douglas Alexander has admitted he is in favour of cutting housing benefit payments, ahead of a crucial vote on the topic.

Lib Dem defects over housing benefit cuts

08/11/2010

A Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate has defected to Labour over cuts to housing benefit.

£45k helps rough sleepers find a home

05/11/2010

Most rough sleepers given money on demand as part of a pilot project to help them into permanent housing spent less than budgeted.

GPs: ‘Health reform must help homeless’

05/11/2010

Reform of the National Health Service will fail if the government does not improve health services for homeless people, the chair-elect of the Royal College of GPs has claimed.

Left out in the cold

05/11/2010

Cuts could spell the end of important projects to tackle rough sleeping but charities are fighting to keep the fire burning

Minister attacks benefit cut critics

03/11/2010

The government has denied that homelessness will rise as a result of cuts to housing benefit.

Supermarket takes on homeless workers

02/11/2010

Supermarket giant Morrisons is to give 1,000 homeless and vulnerable people jobs in its new stores over the next three years.

Renters cannot absorb housing benefit cut

01/11/2010

Two thirds of people renting social housing would face difficulties if their income fell through cuts to housing benefit, a survey has found.

DWP crackdown to recover £1.1 billion

29/10/2010

Homelessness departments face picking up the cost of a new drive by the Department for Work and Pensions to reduce fraud and error.

Grant freeze marks death of social housing

29/10/2010

The government has no intention of providing new direct grant for social housing in the next five years, heralding its slow death as a form of tenure.

Pensioner’s body lay undiscovered in sheltered flat for days

29/10/2010

The body of an Eastbourne pensioner in a sheltered housing scheme was only discovered after maggots from his home crawled into a neighbour’s flat.

Stormy weather

29/10/2010

Last week’s comprehensive spending review hit social housing hard. Martin Hilditch assesses the damage

Kosovo claim raises stakes in benefit war

28/10/2010

London mayor Boris Johnson has waded into the row over housing benefit cuts, pledging to block ‘Kosovo-style social cleansing’.

Clegg rejects social cleansing claims

27/10/2010

The deputy prime minister has branded the language used by opponents of the government’s housing benefit reforms as ‘deeply offensive’.

Asylum system causes separation of familes, says report

25/10/2010

Accommodation support for failed asylum seekers is a major cause for the separation of families, says a charity report.

Council merger could save £100m

25/10/2010

The housing departments of three London councils could merge as part of a plan to save up to £100 million.

Councils to move LHA claimants out of London

22/10/2010

Councils in London are arranging to move local housing allowance claimants into accommodation as far away as Hastings, following cuts to housing benefit confirmed in the comprehensive spending review.

Keep up the good work

22/10/2010

It is perhaps appropriate that this week we feature the work of London’s homelessness professionals in this year’s Andy Ludlow Awards.

Street smarts

22/10/2010

Now in their 12th year, the Andy Ludlow Homelessness Awards continue to celebrate the many innovative projects that provide vital help to London’s homeless population. Anita Pati profiles this year’s winner and runners-up

Spending cuts to hit most vulnerable hardest

21/10/2010

Plans to slash social housing budgets and drive up rents will hit the poorest members of society hardest, practitioners have warned.

Supporting People budget reduced

20/10/2010

The government has promised to protect vulnerable people despite cutting Supporting People funding by 11.5 per cent, to £6 billion.

Prisoners to be given housing advice

19/10/2010

Government officials will work with councils to improve access to housing advice in prisons to stop the ‘revolving door’ of reoffending.

A rough deal

15/10/2010

The launch of London’s ‘no second night out’ strategy to tackle the number of long-term rough sleepers on the capital’s streets is a welcome and pragmatic response to an intractable problem.

Charities demand clear strategy on EU migrants

15/10/2010

Homelessness charities have warned the government that it must have a clear strategy for dealing with European migrants if it is to end rough sleeping by the 2012 target.

New homeless hub planned for London

15/10/2010

A rough sleeping hub is likely to be set up in London to organise housing and support for homeless people, as part of a drive to end the problem by 2012.

More four bedroom homes needed to tackle overcrowding

14/10/2010

More four-bedroom homes - not three bedroom - are needed to ease overcrowding, a London Assembly planning and housing committee heard.

Authorities ditch asylum contracts

14/10/2010

Birmingham and Wolverhampton councils have pulled out of providing asylum seeker accommodation on behalf of the government.

Campaigners fear domestic violence cuts

12/10/2010

Cutting support services for women fleeing domestic violence could lead to a rise in murders, campaigners have warned.

Flint gets CLG role in shadow cabinet

08/10/2010

Controversial former housing minister Caroline Flint is to take on the communities and local government brief in the Labour shadow cabinet.

ERoSH issues warning on new standard

08/10/2010

A proposed European benchmark for sheltered housing will lower standards across the industry unless it is changed, experts have warned.

Health trusts get £70m for home adaptation

06/10/2010

The government has pledged £70 million to adapt the homes of people leaving hospital.

Benefits to be capped through housing cuts

05/10/2010

George Osborne has announced further cuts to housing benefit as part of a radical package of welfare reform.

Study questions housing association role

04/10/2010

Housing associations are increasingly seen as contributing to poverty and need to rediscover their role as champions of the vulnerable, according to a think tank.

Single payment set to replace housing benefit

01/10/2010

Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has won his battle with the Treasury to create a new simplified benefits system, according to reports today.

Councils fail to prioritise homelessness

01/10/2010

Charities have called on the Scottish Government to redouble efforts to end homelessness by 2012 after the problem worsened in three council areas.

Learn by example

01/10/2010

The coalition government must take a good look at the US and Canada to see what not to do with housing benefit, says Heather Petch

SFHA launches housing benefit campaign

30/09/2010

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has launched a campaign today against proposed changes to the housing benefit system.

Benefit cuts branded ‘social cleansing’

28/09/2010

A Labour MP has warned cuts to housing benefit will result in ‘social cleansing’ across the country.

Court threat for commission

24/09/2010

The Legal Services Commission could face a wave of legal action from housing advice firms after awarding a contract to an organisation that had taken it to court.

Take it inside

24/09/2010

Money may be tight but sponsored sleep-outs do nothing to help the homeless

Charity coalition to support vulnerable

22/09/2010

Four charities have formed a coalition to help vulnerable people who suffer from a combination of problems.

Nine in 10 landlords fear benefit cuts

20/09/2010

More than 90 per cent of private landlords have said they would be less likely to take on tenants who are claiming housing benefit if proposed cuts go ahead.

Begging to differ

17/09/2010

It is undoubtedly good news that the coalition government has listened to the concerns of homelessness workers and overhauled the farcical rules governing rough sleeper counts in England.

Boris criticised after giving money to a beggar

17/09/2010

The mayor of London has fuelled a debate over giving money to beggars after he got off his bike to hand over a pound in Leicester Square.

Knowsley plans £7 million cut

17/09/2010

A Merseyside housing association will cut its budget by up to £7 million in response to the government’s plans to slash housing benefit.

Survey sample cuts will hide fuel poverty

17/09/2010

Government plans to slash the sample size for its survey on English housing conditions will make it ‘impossible’ to assess fuel poverty, an academic has warned.

Older people fear government cuts

15/09/2010

Nearly three quarters of older people believe the government’s cuts will hit them hardest, a study has found.

All councils to supply rough sleeping figures

14/09/2010

The government has announced the way rough sleepers are counted will change from today.

Chancellor denies rift over benefit cuts

14/09/2010

George Osborne has denied accusations of a ‘turf war’ between the Treasury and Iain Duncan Smith’s work and pensions department.

Spending cuts to hit the poor hardest

13/09/2010

The Trades Union Congress has warned spending cuts will hit the poorest in society hardest, as it begins its annual conference in Manchester.

Hossacks faces bankruptcy over legal aid

10/09/2010

The leading firm of solicitors representing sheltered housing tenants is facing bankruptcy because of legal aid delays.

There’s no place like home

10/09/2010

A pressing topic at the International Social Housing Summit at The Hague next month will be how housing and healthcare providers can support our rapidly ageing population to stay where it wants to be: at home. Lydia Stockdale reports

Legal body backs down over advice contract

09/09/2010

The Legal Services Commission has avoided a judicial review by backing down on its decision not to award a housing advice firm a social welfare contract.

Police complaints body to investigate death

06/09/2010

The death of a homeless man in custody is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Hard times

03/09/2010

When the ring fence around Supporting People funding was removed last year, many homelessness charities began to fear for their contracts with local authorities. In the second part of our series focusing on charities Emily Twinch finds out how, and if, they are able to survive.

What's in a name

03/09/2010

Charities have spent years trying to dispel the stigma surrounding homelessness.

Labour backers urged to fight benefit cuts

01/09/2010

Former housing minister Yvette Cooper has called on Labour supporters and members in every part of the country to campaign against the planned changes to housing benefit.

Efficiency scheme axed to save mortgage rescue

31/08/2010

The Welsh government dropped a pledge to help first-time buyers make their homes more energy efficient in favour of its mortgage rescue scheme.

Equality watchdog issues cuts threat

27/08/2010

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has threatened to take action against the government over whether its spending cuts have an unfair impact on women and minority groups.

Council officers to run homelessness enterprise

27/08/2010

Housing officers in Mansfield are going to form a new company to house homeless people in the private sector.

Legal aid cull prompts fears

27/08/2010

A legal aid cull will see homelessness rise and people in desperate housing need face problems in accessing help, lawyers and charities have warned.

Think twice

27/08/2010

The expulsion of eastern European migrants will not solve the growing problem of homelessness among this group

Drug addicts could lose benefits

25/08/2010

Drug addicts who refuse treatment could lose their benefits under controversial plans being considered by ministers.

Wates secures £400m framework deals

24/08/2010

Affordable housing construction firm Wates Living Space has agreed £400 million of framework contracts with supported housing providers.

Developer to build new almshouses

24/08/2010

Lewisham council has granted planning permission for 62 new almshouses to be built on an original almshouse site.

Benefit reform to split London borough

23/08/2010

The proposed changes to housing benefit will split the London borough of Camden in two, with more than 2,000 claimants being affected, the local authority has said.

Bradford residents 'furious' at rat claims

20/08/2010

Residents at an estate in Bradford are angry with a story by The Sun newspaper saying giant rats are living on their estate, says their landlord.

A home for life

20/08/2010

In 1948 Dolly Wren moved to a new social housing estate in post-war London. Fiona Quirke finds out how the mix of general needs and sheltered housing means she’s still there today.

Clegg: benefit cuts are hard to justify

20/08/2010

Nick Clegg has waded into the row over housing benefit reform by suggesting proposed cuts make it difficult to justify replacing the Trident nuclear weapon.

Gypsy sites budget cut after £15m underspend

20/08/2010

The Homes and Communities Agency spent just under 5 per cent of its £32 million Gypsy and Traveller Sites grant last year.

The cuts run deep

20/08/2010

The goverment’s programme of public spending cuts are proving devastating for many of society’s most vulnerable people. One such example is the proposed reform of housing benefit which Inside Housing is highlighting though our What’s the Benefit? campaign, which this week received its 1000th backer.

National Tenant Voice to wind down company structure

19/08/2010

The National Tenant Voice is to wind down its formal company structure as it seeks a way to carry on independently.

Pensioner faces eviction from his family home

18/08/2010

An 83-year-old pensioner has been asked to leave the council house he has lived in for 74 years in order to make way for a family.

CIH seeks 'urgent information' on Audit Commission

17/08/2010

The Chartered Institute of Housing is seeking urgent clarification about the effect the scrapping of the Audit Commission will have on housing inspections.

Clegg: housing 'is UK's biggest problem'

17/08/2010

Access to affordable housing is one of the biggest problems faced by the UK, Nick Clegg said yesterday.

Maldon Council 'improving'

16/08/2010

Maldon Council’s housing service has made a ‘significant improvement’, inspectors have said.

Tories exposed for mis-selling security

13/08/2010

The Conservative Party held pre-election meetings with key housing figures about its plans to remove security of tenure from future social housing tenants.

Behind closed doors

13/08/2010

On the outside they look like ordinary guesthouses but inside, rogue landlords are using Blackpool’s former hotels to house dozens of people in unsanitary conditions. Marie-Claire Kidd reports on how the council is fighting back

A sign of the times

13/08/2010

The days of security of tenure look increasingly numbered as the Conservatives prepare to make a dramatic U-turn on key pre-election promises. Martin Hilditch investigates one of the most radical changes ever proposed for social housing.

Circle Anglia bids to run ‘freedom pass'

13/08/2010

One of England’s largest housing associations is set to bid to run the government’s new ‘freedom pass’ database for tenants who want to move.

Home help

13/08/2010

In the first of a two-part series focusing on homelessness organisations, Chris Ames and Lydia Stockdale find out how charities can soften the blow of government spending cuts through hard-hitting fundraising adverts aimed at the public

Lib Dem deputy to create benefit reform plan

13/08/2010

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats is drawing up alternatives to the government’s plans to reform housing benefit because of his concern about their impact in London.

We need change...

13/08/2010

The concept of a council house for life is no longer tenable; those who can afford to leave social housing should make way for those who can’t

Residents to move from Southwark block

12/08/2010

Councillors have decided tenants and leaseholders in a Southwark tower block must be moved immediately.

Advisory committee launches housing benefit inquiry

11/08/2010

The social security advisory committee has launched an inquiry into the government’s proposed changes to housing benefit.

Foster son loses tenancy fight

09/08/2010

A foster son has lost his fight to take over the home he was brought up in from his late foster mother.

Think tank issues Gypsy warning

09/08/2010

Councils should not ignore the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites just because national targets have been scrapped, a think tank has warned.

Charities seek test case as UKBA forces out migrants

06/08/2010

Charities supporting migrants are looking to mount a test legal case after 13 homeless European nationals were forcibly removed from the UK.

Lightening the load

06/08/2010

Housing associations are missing a trick with the mortgage rescue scheme, says Sian Evans, partner at Weightmans

Wardens call to deputy PM

06/08/2010

Sheltered housing residents have written to the deputy prime minister asking him to bring back live-in wardens throughout the country.

Unions condemn housing benefit cuts

05/08/2010

The Trades Union Congress has condemned the government’s decision to cut housing benefit payments.

Miliband mansion tax to meet benefit bill

03/08/2010

Labour Party leadership candidate David Miliband has suggested a ‘mansion tax’ on homes worth more than £2 million should be introduced to fund housing benefit costs.

‘The government won’t give a damn about us'

30/07/2010

Pensioners like Patricia Wright fear housing benefit reforms will push them below the breadline. How can that be right, asks Isabel Hardman.

Double success for What’s the Benefit? campaign

30/07/2010

MPs have backed one of the key demands of Inside Housing’s What’s the Benefit? campaign by agreeing to hold an inquiry into controversial housing benefit reforms.

Rough figures

30/07/2010

It is heartening to see a politician keeping a promise, particularly one made in opposition.

Sub-prime lending dominated bail out

30/07/2010

Homeowners who borrowed from sub-prime lenders were the main group bailed out by the mortgage rescue scheme, the first major evaluation of the programme has revealed.

Brent housing head joins benefit cut critics

27/07/2010

A director of housing at a London council has broken ranks to criticise planned changes to housing benefit.

Government trebles rough sleeper estimate

26/07/2010

Official estimates have suggested the number of people sleeping rough could be three times that recorded by councils.

Grey matter

23/07/2010

In the new ‘big society’ the key to providing housing for older people is to integrate and tailor services within the community, argues John Lines

Warwick awards £1.2m adaptation contract

21/07/2010

Lovell has won a £1.2 million, four-year contract to carry out disability adaptation work across Warwick council’s housing stock.

Benefit restrictions drive demand for food banks

19/07/2010

A tightened benefits system will lead to increasing numbers needing the services of food banks, a charity has warned.

Housing sector calls for £9.5bn investment

19/07/2010

Social housing bodies are calling on the government to invest £9.5 billion in building affordable homes in its autumn spending review.

City slicker

16/07/2010

Pushpa Raguvaran is going head to head with the private sector in a bid to win more of the lucrative care market. But was the Housing 21 chief’s decision to drop £19.5 million on a listed company the right one? To kick off our care and support special, Caroline Thorpe met her.

Dealing with dementia

16/07/2010

A pilot project is giving residents with dementia extra support so they can stay in their own homes. Anita Pati reports

Hundreds give backing to housing benefit campaign

16/07/2010

More than 300 people backed Inside Housing’s What’s the Benefit? campaign within three working days.

Make a show of it

16/07/2010

The government’s personalisation agenda gives vulnerable people control over their care. Lydia Stockdale discovers how one group of residents is using its influence to ensure integrated services are put centre stage.

Stoking fires for change

16/07/2010

Imagine a scheme which allowed a local authority to save £5.5 million over two years in its spending on health, social care and housing.

Housing benefit crucial to combat poverty

15/07/2010

Helping low-income families with housing costs has a larger impact on their welfare than any other type of support, according to a study.

PM wades into housing benefit row

15/07/2010

The prime minister has said it is an ‘outrage’ that families are able to claim £2,000 a week in housing benefit.

Minister: benefit cap will cause 'casualties'

12/07/2010

A government minister has admitted there will be ‘casualties’ from the decision to cap housing benefit.

FHM to build £6.25m hostel

09/07/2010

Frank Haslam Milan has landed a £6.25 million contract to redevelop a homeless centre in Birmingham.

Inside Housing campaigns against benefit cut plans

09/07/2010

Inside Housing today launches a campaign to persuade the government to drop plans for housing benefit reform that could force thousands of people out of their homes.

Solution to benefit everyone

09/07/2010

This week Inside Housing launches a campaign to find alternatives to the current proposals to cut the £21 billion housing benefit bill.

Half of adults struggle with housing costs

06/07/2010

A survey carried out for Shelter Cymru has found almost half of adults in Wales who have a mortgage or rent struggle with payments.

Poor funding ‘violates rights’

02/07/2010

Social housing in Northern Ireland is breaking international human rights standards, according to new analysis of the way the sector is funded.

Evicted tenant leaves behind 20 tarantulas

01/07/2010

A housing association has found 20 tarantulas in the home of an evicted tenant.

Luton association to join Aldwyck

30/06/2010

Bedfordshire housing association Luton Community Housing is to join Aldwyck Housing group.

Jobs agency fails to support homeless

28/06/2010

Only 11 per cent of homeless people trying to get into work felt Jobcentre Plus offered them suitable employment, a report has found.

No home, no job –no hope?

25/06/2010

After the cuts in this week’s emergency Budget, homeless unemployed people face an even bigger struggle

LHA cuts to lead to 'benefit ghettos'

24/06/2010

Plans for a tough new local housing allowance regime risk plunging people into arrears and creating benefit ghettos, delegates at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference have warned.

Benefit cuts risk eviction and homelessness

23/06/2010

The government’s decision to cut housing benefit has been criticised by homelessness charities and housing associations.

Chancellor urged to relax tax rules

21/06/2010

The emergency Budget should relax stamp duty land tax rules to encourage more private sector and foreign investment in affordable housing, lawyers have argued.

Confusion over cash cuts

18/06/2010

A council warned supported housing providers that it would cut their funding by 20 per cent this year - only to do a U-turn a week later.

In video: Miracle growers

18/06/2010

It was an absolute blooming success. The Places of Change garden, created by 500 volunteers for more than 40 homelessness organisations in England, won a silver medal at May’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Tracey Emin to offer art lessons to hostel residents

18/06/2010

One of England’s most renowned artists is to run art courses for homeless people at a well-known hostel.

Failed asylum seekers feel safer in UK

17/06/2010

Refused asylum seekers feel safer being destitute and homeless in the UK than returning to their home country, a report has found.

Lovell wins £3.6m extra care contract

16/06/2010

Lovell has landed a £3.6 million contract to build an extra care sheltered housing scheme in Dukinfield, Manchester.

Extra care funds bail out mortgage rescue scheme

16/06/2010

The Welsh Assembly Government has transferred £2 million from building extra care homes for older people to fund its cash-strapped mortgage rescue scheme.

Rockers hand £62,000 to housing charity

15/06/2010

Rock band Rage Against the Machine has helped homelessness charity Shelter raise £185,000.

Fed warns cuts could hit most vulnerable

11/06/2010

The National Housing Federation has warned government cuts announced yesterday could have a dire effect on vulnerable people.

Design can stop loneliness

11/06/2010

A US expert on older people’s housing has said developers should reassess designs for retirement housing to combat loneliness.

CLG decides where the axe will fall

10/06/2010

The government has set out details of how cuts to housing and regeneration programmes will be made and which ones will bear the brunt of the pain.

Council outlines plans to end rough sleeping

09/06/2010

Westminster council has released plans it hopes will eradicate rough sleeping by 2012.

Closure order secured over ASB tenant

04/06/2010

An association in West Yorkshire has become one of the first housing providers to successfully apply for the closure of a property for anti-social behaviour.

The invisible man

04/06/2010

When Michael Jackson approached Adullam Housing Association’s homelessness team he didn’t officially exist. And there are more and more people like him who fail to appear on official lists, reports Martin Hilditch.

Shadow of doom

04/06/2010

Iain Duncan Smith has staked his job on improving the housing benefit system but what sacrifices will he need to make to achieve this? Isabel Hardman finds out why the housing sector is bracing itself for major cuts

Southwark revamp in response to fatal blaze

04/06/2010

Southwark Council is to separate its joint housing and environment department after a fatal tower block fire raised management concerns.

Lawyers want court ruling on section 4 support fast-tracked

03/06/2010

Lawyers working with asylum seekers who must travel to Liverpool to give fresh evidence on their claims want the High Court to bring forward a decision on support for the destitute.

Group structure formed for older people in Wales

03/06/2010

The umbrella body for housing associations in Wales is to join forces with the national body for helping older people live independently in their homes.

TCPA appoints first female head

02/06/2010

The Town and Country Planning Association has appointed its first female chief executive.

Bath-based housing association rapped over knuckles

01/06/2010

A Bath-based housing association has come under fire from inspectors for its record on re-letting empty homes and gas servicing.

Stark warning from charity chief exec

28/05/2010

The number of eastern Europeans sleeping rough could outnumber other rough sleepers in three years, the head of a homelessness charity has said.

Survey finds bullying in hostels

27/05/2010

Physical violence and sexual exploitation are among the forms of bullying happening in hostels and supported housing, research has warned.

Homelessness garden wins Chelsea silver medal

25/05/2010

A garden built by hundreds of homeless people has scooped a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Top CLG official to step down

24/05/2010

The most senior civil servant at the Communities and Local Government department is leaving to take up a new post.

Hanover pulls out of home repairs talks

21/05/2010

Older people’s housing provider Hanover has abandoned talks about it buying a network of firms which carry out home repairs and adaptations.

Housing’s super heroes

21/05/2010

Our annual Housing Heroes awards celebrate those individuals and teams who have made a super human effort. Lydia Stockdale shines a spotlight on this year’s winners

The net is closing in

21/05/2010

Charitable housing providers must be prepared for regulation, says Peter Hubbard

Housing finance reform among coalition priorities

20/05/2010

The coalition government has set out its housing priorities including a review of the housing revenue account subsidy system.

Futures wins £2.25m contract

19/05/2010

Futures Housing Group has landed a £2.25 million contract to provide homes for adults with learning disabilities.

Housing Heroes named at awards

14/05/2010

The winners of awards set up to recognise the contribution of the unsung ‘heroes’ of the housing sector have been announced.

The big issue

14/05/2010

The prevention of homelessness is better than cure, says John Lines

Former leader takes tough policies to DWP

12/05/2010

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith will take the post of work and pensions secretary, heading up housing benefit reform.

Man dies in explosion at council flats

12/05/2010

A man died and 20 people were evacuated after an explosion at a block of flats belonging to Cardiff council.  

Hope for the homeless

07/05/2010

Sharing good practice across Europe will bring the aim of ending rough sleeping by 2012 a step closer

Labour’s legacy

07/05/2010

In 1997 we were promised that things could only get better for social housing. So after 13 years in power - and nine housing ministers - did Labour deliver? Keith Cooper looks back on a time of both great achievement and missed opportunity

Genesis in court over Legionnaires’ outbreak

06/05/2010

Genesis Housing Group has been taken to court by Basildon Council over claims it failed to protect sheltered housing tenants from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

Disabled man fights benefit rule

30/04/2010

The mother of a disabled student is considering a legal challenge against the government over its failure to consider the impact of housing benefit regulations on disabled people.

Human traffickers use social homes to house victims

30/04/2010

Landlords must make more checks to stop human traffickers using their properties, a police officer leading an EU investigation into people smuggling revealed.

Overnight pay row looms for landlords

30/04/2010

Britain’s largest trade union is to campaign against housing providers and charities which pay staff less than minimum wage for being on call at night.

Cancer sufferer says she was sacked for health reasons

29/04/2010

A council housing director who was sacked while receiving cancer treatment claims she was sent a letter saying her contract was being terminated because of health reasons.

Red Road flats to be demolished

29/04/2010

Two blocks on the estate in Glasgow, where three Russians died after throwing themselves from a balcony, are to be demolished simultaneously.

Association issues challenge to dragon

28/04/2010

A housing association has invited one of the stars of TV show Dragons’ Den to meet ex-offenders after he said he would invest with anyone ‘as long as they don’t have a criminal record’.

Democratic behaviour

23/04/2010

Nick Clegg may be riding high in the televised party leaders’ debates, but in the second of Inside Housing’s leader series, we ask: can the Liberal Democrats win housing’s vote?

Leeds under fire over procurement

23/04/2010

Leeds Council has been told it should tighten up its procurement procedures following concerns about a temporary accommodation contract.

Poll jumping politics

23/04/2010

Nick Clegg has spent the past week dodging bouquets following his winning performance in the UK’s first televised leadership debate.

Head of Supporting People review criticises scheme

21/04/2010

An academic studying the Supporting People scheme in Wales has said it is immensely important but badly run.

Politicians urged to support elderly

20/04/2010

A sheltered housing body is calling on politicians to recognise the importance of good quality older people’s housing and care.

Charities support European homelessness drive

19/04/2010

St Mungo’s and the Scottish Council for Single Homeless are supporting a European drive to end homelessness across the continent.

All talk no action

16/04/2010

Politicians can talk about an integrated national care service but it’s down to providers to make it happen

Landlords must improve end-of-life care

16/04/2010

Housing providers must be better educated about caring for people at the end of their lives, a new report has said.

Right up my street

16/04/2010

In the latest instalment of our House Proud campaign, Lydia Stockdale looks at how tailoring housing to changing demographic need can ease pressure on health and social care services

The gallery

16/04/2010

Before the demolition of Southern Housing Group’s 1960s Market estate in Islington, north London, begins later this month, the housing association has teamed up with arts regeneration practice Talltales to turn the site into an art project.

Greens pledge to plough £4 billion into social housing

15/04/2010

The Green Party would launch a £4 billion social housing programme and focus on expanding the role of council delivery if it came to power.

Salvation army releases general election manifesto

15/04/2010

A large provider of homelessness services, which is looking to become the parent organisation of a housing association, has launched its general election manifesto.

Plaid Cymru calls for devolution of housing powers

14/04/2010

Welsh political party Plaid Cymru wants primary housing legislation to be devolved back to Wales and for finance reform to allow more council-built social housing.

Newham Council serves order on overcrowded flats

13/04/2010

Newham Council housing officers have placed two young families living in a ‘rabbit warren’ property into emergency accommodation.

Asylum seekers are left destitute by rule changes

09/04/2010

Growing numbers of failed asylum seekers are being left destitute because of rule changes that are causing huge delays to decisions about whether to give them access to housing.

Guidance fails to clarify responsibilities to house homeless teens

09/04/2010

The government has rejected calls that it should require social service departments to take full responsibility for looking after homeless 16 and 17-year-olds.

Salvation Army to merge with landlord

09/04/2010

The Salvation Army is set to take over a housing association and become the first unregistered organisation with a subsidiary signed up to the housing regulator.

Guidance defines support for homeless teenagers

06/04/2010

The government has issued guidance to clarify the roles housing departments and social services should play in helping homeless 16 and 17-year-olds.

Anchor to transfer HIAs to Hanover

01/04/2010

Anchor Trust has announced it intends to pull out of its home improvement agency business and transfer all its branches to another provider.

Housing to play bigger role in care

01/04/2010

Housing providers will play a much bigger role in delivering health and care services under government plans for a National Care Service, ministers have announced.

MPs back direct benefit payments

30/03/2010

Paying the local housing allowance direct to tenants should remain the default option, an influential committee of MPs has said.

Campaigners welcome super-strength tax

25/03/2010

A homelessness charity has welcomed Alistair Darling’s pledge to increase the tax on strong cider.

A delicate balance

23/03/2010

Housing providers must meet the housing needs of people diagnosed with HIV without displaying prejudice, explains solicitor Sophie Bell

Doubt cast on 2012 homelessness goal

19/03/2010

Delegates at a Scottish housing conference have expressed a lack of confidence in the ability of councils to meet the target to abolish homelessness by 2012.

Dropping anchor

19/03/2010

Two landmark cases have opened up eligibility for social housing for non-European migrants

Introducing.....House Proud readers' panel

19/03/2010

Every week from now until polling day, Inside Housing’s general election Readers’ Panel will give an insight into what the sector thinks of the politicians’ promises. As the runners and riders line up, Isabel Hardman canvasses some early views

Warden row pensioner is facing eviction

19/03/2010

A council has threatened a pensioner with court action for refusing to pay for support services following the removal of the resident warden at his sheltered housing scheme.

Tower block suicides prompt inquiry calls

12/03/2010

Charities and MPs have called for an investigation into the amount of help given to failed asylum seekers, after three people jumped to their deaths from a Glasgow tower block.

Anchor names new chief executive

10/03/2010

Anchor Trust has announced its replacement for housing’s highest paid chief executive John Belcher, who left the association in November.

Reaping the benefits

09/03/2010

Ninety per cent of calls to Stroud’s revenues and benefits department were ‘waste’, the council has found. Peter Middleton explains how it came to this conclusion, and what it did about it.

Campaigners fight Welsh transfer plans

08/03/2010

Protesters have hit the streets of the Welsh town of Port Talbot to fight plans for three ‘super’ residential care homes and stock transfer.

Disabled cash row eased

05/03/2010

Disabled people will not be handed total control over their Supporting People funding in a pilot scheme housing associations feared would jeopardise supported housing projects.

The Canadian way

05/03/2010

Canada’s Winter Olympic Games provided a chance to rethink Vancouver’s housing policy

Charity mourns TV presenter patron

03/03/2010

A youth homelessness charity has said it is saddened by the death of its patron, TV presenter Kristian Digby.

High Court to rule on section 4 support changes

01/03/2010

The High Court has granted refugee status to a failed asylum seeker as it considers whether changes to the housing and support system are lawful.

‘Betrayal’ over lifetime homes pledge

26/02/2010

The government has been accused of reneging on a pledge to make new housing accessible to disabled people by a new campaign group.

Prince’s portrait to help the homeless

26/02/2010

Prince William has turned photographer and subject in aid of homelessness charity Crisis.

Hostel evictions could be prevented

24/02/2010

More could be done to prevent unnecessary evictions from homelessness hostels in London, a study has found.

Cuts threaten refuges for young runaways

23/02/2010

A children’s charity is calling on the government to support a UK-wide network of refuge centres for young runaways.

Bar lowered on 2012 rough sleeper figures

19/02/2010

The definition of rough sleeping could be rewritten in a bid to help London reach its target to end street homelessness ahead of the Olympic Games.

Isle of Wight to halve supported homes cash

19/02/2010

Funding for supported housing services on the Isle of Wight will be slashed in half if proposed budget cuts are adopted.

Tory gurus’ elderly review

19/02/2010

A think tank with links to the Conservative Party will consider whether sheltered housing could be a solution to loneliness among older people.

Healey slammed for repossession views

15/02/2010

Opposition politicians have accused John Healey of losing touch with reality, after he suggested repossession could be the ‘best thing’ for struggling families.

Forget me not

12/02/2010

The number of people with dementia is set to rise 150 per cent in the next 40 years and social landlords will have a crucial role to play in their care. Lydia Stockdale finds out about a scheme in Manchester which has caring for dementia sufferers very much in mind

Row as Worcestershire landlord refuses disability adaptations

12/02/2010

A housing association refused to allow a disabled tenant to adapt his home as it judged he would be better served by moving to another property.

Charity sets out steps to end homelessness

11/02/2010

Umbrella group Homeless Link has issued a general election manifesto setting out 10 steps to end rough sleeping and homelessness.

Errors see benefit overpayments double

09/02/2010

Overpayment of benefits has doubled to £800 million in the past decade, MPs have discovered.

Different delivery

05/02/2010

Devising new ways to support people will help the sector beat funding cuts

Inspector tears into standard of sheltered housing

05/02/2010

The quality of some sheltered housing is so low that ‘students would not accept it as accommodation’, the Audit Commission’s main inspector for the sector has said.

Snow storm

05/02/2010

Jon Snow, news anchor and long-time advocate for homeless young people gives Lydia Stockdale an exclusive guided tour of his latest project and tells her why he’s backing Inside Housing’s House Proud campaign. Housing departments of a sensitive nature should look away now.

Federations united in election demands

03/02/2010

The UK’s four national housing federations have drawn up a joint manifesto for the general election.

Government must review retirement housing, says charity

29/01/2010

The UK’s largest charity for older people has called on the government to carry out a comprehensive review of its policies on retirement housing.

Housing providers cut out of £91m support system

29/01/2010

The government has overhauled the way it pays financial support to failed asylum seekers because of suspicions some unscrupulous housing providers were defrauding the system.

Three line up for Carr Gomm

29/01/2010

Three supported housing organisations have been shortlisted to take over troubled housing association Carr Gomm.

Winter mental health warning

29/01/2010

Homeless people with severe mental illness who endanger their lives by sleeping rough during exceptionally cold weather should be assessed and possibly committed to psychiatric hospitals, according to two leading homelessness charities.

Barnet considers warden ruling appeal

25/01/2010

A London council which was ruled to have acted unlawfully when it planned to end its resident warden service is applying for leave to appeal the decision.

CLG sparks funding row

22/01/2010

Sheltered housing providers have rounded on the government after it insisted it will not hold councils responsible for the amount they spend on supported housing.

UK nations should learn from each other

20/01/2010

Work to tackle homelessness should combine the best elements of strategies from each UK nation, a study has found.

Support needed to help elderly stay in their homes

20/01/2010

The National Housing Federation is calling for more support to help elderly people remain in their homes.

Dragon joins Shelter tower run

19/01/2010

Duncan Bannatyne, the entrepreneur famous for his appearances on TV show Dragon’s Den, is joining homelessness charity Shelter to race up 42 floors of the tallest building in the City of London.

Welsh homelessness shows annual decline

18/01/2010

The number of households accepted as homeless in Wales was 3 per cent lower between July and September 2009 than it was during the same period in 2008.

Carr-Gomm merger call

15/01/2010

A national supported housing organisation is looking for a merger partner after posting an operating deficit of more than £2 million for two successive years.

Make the case for housing

15/01/2010

Housing is society’s unsung hero - and it’s time to change that. As election campaigns begin, it’s crucial we up our influence by shouting about the massive benefits our sector delivers year in, year out. Today Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing launch House Proud, a new campaign to help you do just that

Off the radar

15/01/2010

Official rough sleeper counts don’t always reflect the truth

Homeless man left hospital in pyjamas

14/01/2010

A homeless man was discharged from a London hospital with few clothes and nothing on his feet, a charity has claimed.

Rising housing costs cause family conflict

12/01/2010

Nearly 10 million people have been forced to continue living with an ex-partner because they can’t afford to live on their own, or know someone who has, according to Shelter research.

24% of providers can’t afford to renew contracts

08/01/2010

Almost a quarter of supported housing providers are considering not bidding to provide some of their existing services when their contracts end.

Charity to launch homeless college

08/01/2010

A housing charity is preparing to launch a college to combat levels of poor numeracy and literacy among young homeless people.

Refugees deserve better

08/01/2010

Whatever happens in this year’s general election, one certain legacy of this Labour government will be a problematic asylum and immigration system.

Unlock the potential

08/01/2010

Tackling homelessness would be so much easier with the use of private homes

Charities struggle to survive recession

06/01/2010

Homelessness organisations and services might not survive the recession, according to a report from an umbrella body.

Novas Scarman boss steps down

05/01/2010

The chief executive of Novas Scarman has stepped down from the troubled former housing association.

Rage helps Shelter

21/12/2009

The Facebook campaign to make Rage Against the Machine the Christmas number one has raised thousands for homeless charity Shelter.

Care in homes ‘saves money'

18/12/2009

Healthcare trusts, local authorities and care providers should work more closely together to keep people in their homes for longer, according to a new report.

Housing benefit bill to be slashed

18/12/2009

The government is planning to slash the amount it spends on housing benefit over fears the figure is growing out of control.

London authorities criticised for failing single homeless people

18/12/2009

London local authorities were summoned to a meeting with government officials after a report found they were failing single homeless people.

Conservatives to overhaul rough sleeper counts

17/12/2009

Methods for counting the number of rough sleepers on the streets would be overhauled by a Conservative government, the shadow housing minister has said.

Rough sleepers given human rights guide

11/12/2009

A human rights leaflet has been handed out to rough sleepers because charities are increasingly concerned about their treatment by the authorities.

Anchor takes new tack on chief’s pay

11/12/2009

A housing association whose former chief executive earned almost twice as much as the prime minister has said it will no longer link the pay of its head to that of private sector firms.

Council faces child housing questions

11/12/2009

A teenager who bullied another girl until she killed herself was living in Greenwich Council temporary accommodation, despite a legal ruling that social services should care for 16 and 17-year-olds.

Housing 21 chief to retire

09/12/2009

The chief executive of Housing 21, Melinda Phillips, has announced she is retiring.

Ex-housing minister to meet Anchor boss

04/12/2009

Former housing minister Nick Raynsford is set to meet the new acting head of Anchor Trust to discuss the concerns of trust residents living in his constituency.

Teenagers given access to sheltered housing

04/12/2009

A Somerset housing association has opened up all of its sheltered schemes to teenagers.

High Court to rule on Hossack warden cases

03/12/2009

The first two court cases against social landlords that have removed live-in wardens in sheltered housing schemes began yesterday.

CLG reports progress on rough sleeping

01/12/2009

Hundreds of rough sleepers have been housed in the private rented sector through a government scheme, according to a Communities and Local Government department report.

Elderly waiting too long for home improvements

30/11/2009

Older people are waiting too long for adaptations to their homes, according to politicians in Wales.

Group aims to protect rough sleepers’ rights

27/11/2009

A homelessness charity is setting up a team to protect rough sleepers’ human rights after it became concerned by the action being taken against them by police and councils.

Family breakdown to blame for youth homelessness

25/11/2009

Family breakdown is the root cause of youth homelessness and is likely to increase as unemployment rises, according to research by Centrepoint

Court date for warden cases

20/11/2009

At least 40 court cases linked to the removal of wardens from sheltered housing schemes can go ahead following a Supreme Court decision to block an appeal against a ruling that housing associations are public bodies for some purposes.

Slave to a higher cause

20/11/2009

The anonymous disabled resident in the case involving Walsall Council is simply the latest victim of the lumbering housing benefit system.

Mother forced to wash disabled children in garden

18/11/2009

A mother was forced to hose down her severely disabled children in the garden after a council failed to provide her with suitable accommodation.

Five children a day face eviction in Scotland

13/11/2009

Five children a day face being thrown out of their social home in Scotland, according to a report by Shelter Scotland.

Local solutions

13/11/2009

Smarter thinking, not more government directives, would be the best response to the Pilkington family case

Lenders cut forecast for repossessions

12/11/2009

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has cut its prediction for the number of homes to be repossessed this year.

UK Housing Award winners unveiled

11/11/2009

The winners of the UK Housing Awards have been announced at a ceremony in London.

Housing 21 trailblazes dementia advice deal

06/11/2009

A housing association has won a £144,000 contract to provide dementia advice in central London.

Youth gangs block access to services

06/11/2009

Some homelessness services are becoming associated with specific gangs, according to a new report by charity Railway Children.

Crisis campaigns to block housing allowance reforms

05/11/2009

Homelessness charity Crisis has launched a campaign to stop government plans to claw back excess housing benefit payments.

MPs call on councils to justify supported housing cuts

04/11/2009

Local authorities must justify decisions to divert funding from supported housing to other services next year, a parliamentary committee said.

Campaign names and shames bad landlords

02/11/2009

‘Unscrupulous property barons’ in Newham will be named and shamed if they don’t improve their temporary accommodation.

Advice for private sector

30/10/2009

Social landlords must ensure private rented schemes used to house homeless people have clear aims and objectives, according to advice from Crisis.

DWP is probed for ‘neglecting equality’

30/10/2009

The human rights watchdog is investigating whether the government failed to meet its equality duties towards disabled people when it introduced the local housing allowance.

Housing benefit squeezed

30/10/2009

A recent court ruling has financial implications for social landlords providing supported housing

Post strikes delay benefit payments

30/10/2009

Housing departments are delivering benefit cheques personally and setting up emergency collection points in a bid to stop tenants falling into arrears because of the postal strike.

Plan to put retirement housing in all HCA builds

29/10/2009

A Homes and Communities Agency panel is considering recommending that retirement housing be included in all major developments the body funds.

Shipping containers for homeless prove popular

28/10/2009

A charity has been flooded with enquiries, after its idea of using unwanted shipping containers to house the homeless was featured in Inside Housing.

Crisis wants clearer aims in private rental sector

26/10/2009

Private rented schemes to house the homeless need to have clearly published aims and objectives, according a report by the charity Crisis.

Solve this appalling situation

23/10/2009

Ask any housing professional to name the core reason why they do what they do and the chances are you will get an answer along the lines of: ‘To help meet the housing requirements of society’s most needy.’

Vulnerable people left homeless

23/10/2009

A group of housing and learning disability organisations has protested to the government over steep benefit shortfalls which have made some vulnerable people homeless.

Homelessness charity sells 'social investments'

19/10/2009

A homelessness charity is inviting investors to buy shares in its work.

Charities call for better support

16/10/2009

A coalition of four charities has called for the next government to do more to help people with multiple needs, such as homelessness and mental health problems.

In the pink

16/10/2009

Housing for Women boss and G320 chair Elizabeth Clarson has spent the last decade helping vulnerable women and championing small housing associations. But as her association celebrates its 75th anniversary, she talks to Philippa Ward about her concerns for the future.

Broadway project wins Andy Ludlow awards

15/10/2009

A Broadway project which works with eastern European migrants was given a big round of applause as it was named the 11th winner at the Andy Ludlow homelessness awards.

Government urged to help mentally ill rough sleepers

12/10/2009

Six homelessness organisations have called on the government to pledge that no one with a mental health illness will be sleeping rough after 2012.

When landlords step in

09/10/2009

Gordon Brown’s a fan. The figures - a halving of targeted families facing anti-social behaviour sanctions - speak for themselves. And now they are backed by special tenancies. So why are landlords reluctant to use family intervention projects? Ben Cook finds out.

More associations needed to fight repossession

06/10/2009

The Homes and Communities Agency has written to all of its investment partners in a bid to save the government’s floundering mortgage rescue scheme.

Dylan donates cash to Crisis

02/10/2009

Iconic musician Bob Dylan will donate all the international royalties from his forthcoming album to homelessness charity Crisis and the World Food Programme.

Singing loud and proud

02/10/2009

A music project run by Sanctuary Housing is transforming young lives. Simon Brandon finds out how

Brown targets anti-social behaviour as election looms

30/09/2009

Gordon Brown has pledged put the UK’s 50,000 ‘most chaotic families’ into family intervention projects as part of a new anti-social behaviour crackdown.

Housing 21 close to completing takeover

29/09/2009

A housing association has cleared the final hurdle in its bid to take over a care company.

Homeless centre feeding unemployed

25/09/2009

A homeless shelter has been forced to give out food parcels to people made unemployed by the recession, because their benefits are taking so long to arrive.

Sustained funding cuts will damage supported housing

24/09/2009

Supported housing services cannot sustain further repeated funding cuts, a senior figure at a public spending watchdog has said.

Charities condemn homelessness game

22/09/2009

Homelessness charities have condemned an online game whose homeless characters are described as ‘proper dossers’ and engage in street fights.

Yvonne Hossack wins disciplinary hearing

18/09/2009

Solicitor Yvonne Hossack is free to continue her work campaigning against the removal of wardens from sheltered housing after winning a disciplinary tribunal.

Home secretary rallies to Hossack’s defence

18/09/2009

Home secretary Alan Johnson this week came to the aid of a solicitor and leading home care campaigner who was facing a disciplinary panel.

Tough love aims to end rough sleeping

18/09/2009

Rough sleepers who refuse to leave London’s streets could be sectioned or deported, when necessary, in a new ‘tough love’ approach agreed by senior housing figures.

Improvement plans threaten sheltered housing

17/09/2009

Tenants of four sheltered housing schemes in a London borough could lose their homes as part of plans for improved care services.

Homeless acceptances fall 32 per cent

11/09/2009

Ministers have claimed government investment in reducing homelessness is paying off, as figures show acceptances are down 32 per cent.

Court fight to keep live-in wardens

11/09/2009

Residents of sheltered housing developments have begun a legal fight to retain their live-in wardens.

Temporary homes double in 10 years

11/09/2009

The number of households in temporary accommodation has hit its highest level since the Scottish Government was set up.

Campaign targets struggling homeowners

08/09/2009

The government is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the support available for homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages.

Bouncing back

04/09/2009

Nadine Tunasi has survived civil war, years as an asylum seeker, and studying for a law degree on just £10 a week. But she can’t get a job. Will a new housing project offer her the future she dreams of? Caroline Thorpe finds out.

Join the frontline

04/09/2009

More social landlords must help fight the effects of recession by getting involved in mortgage rescue

Protest over slashed living expenses

04/09/2009

The Chartered Institute of Housing has protested about cuts in support for asylum seekers which would force them to live on £5 per day.

Roma families denied social housing

02/09/2009

A group of Romas who were evicted from their Belfast home have been told they are ineligible for social housing.

Admissions policies could harm shelters

01/09/2009

Homeless shelters are concerned new guidelines on their admissions policies could damage their work with vulnerable clients.

Shared owners in cash crisis

28/08/2009

Housing associations are setting up schemes to help shared ownership homeowners who are falling into arrears because they fail to qualify for the government’s £285 million rescue programme.

Disability rules could force landlords to convert all homes

26/08/2009

The body that represents private landlords is warning that its members could be forced to convert their properties to suit disabled tenants, even if they don’t have any.

A call to action

21/08/2009

NGOs working in India’s slums have humble lessons for Britain’s social housing sector, says Tony Soares

Charities warn social services: stop passing buck on young people

21/08/2009

Charities have warned social services teams to stop offloading young people in need of support onto housing departments.

The same mistakes

21/08/2009

The government stepping into the breach in January and pledging to help ‘up to 6,000’ people stay in their homes through its £285 million mortgage rescue scheme was undoubtedly a good thing.

Lakanal residents will not return home

20/08/2009

Residents of a tower block in which six people died in a tragic blaze last month will never move back into their homes.

Global recognition

19/08/2009

Projects helping Brazilian farmers build their own homes, and homeless people in Poland, have been recognised in the World Habitat Awards. Tom Lloyd finds out why

Housing 21 bids for public company

14/08/2009

Housing 21 has made a £20 million offer for Claimar Care, in what could be the first successful housing association takeover of a public company.

Leave prejudice at the door

14/08/2009

How can landlords ensure they are gay-friendly? Derek Munn offers some tips

Charity asks for interest rate cap

11/08/2009

A charity, made up of faith organisations, unions and voluntary bodies, will meet Royal Bank of Scotland tomorrow to call for a low-interest credit card.

Cohesion plans essential for all projects

10/08/2009

The government has produced guidance on how to deliver community cohesion within projects not specifically aimed at tackling the issue.

Top achievers in housing awards

06/08/2009

The shortlist for the UK Housing Awards has been announced.

Design project to help the blind

04/08/2009

Blind and partially sighted people are to be helped by a new project to make it easier for them to move around council estates, town centres and other public spaces.

Fed secures funding to create 1,600 housing jobs

30/07/2009

The National Housing Federation has won £15 million worth of funding to help it create thousands of jobs in unemployment hotspots across the country.

One million children in overcrowded homes

29/07/2009

Charity Shelter is calling for action to tackle overcrowding as figures show more than 1 million children are living in cramped conditions.

Regional plan addresses Gypsy and Traveller site shortage

27/07/2009

Gypsies and Travellers will be provided with an 80 per cent increase in pitches in the north west under a draft review of the region’s policy.

Heating scheme failing the most vulnerable

24/07/2009

A committee of MPs has attacked the government’s Warm Front scheme for failing to help the poorest and most vulnerable residents cope with their heating bills.

Extra care model faces upheaval

21/07/2009

The largest provider of extra care housing believes it will have to ‘reinvent retirement housing’ for a post-credit crunch era.

Dark days

17/07/2009

Caroline Thorpe reports on the housing staff being trained to spot the signs of human trafficking as they join the fight against the crime

Welsh set out plans to tackle homelessness

16/07/2009

The Welsh government wants to concentrate on early intervention and identification to prevent homelessness over the next 10 years.

CLG reports progress on housing targets

15/07/2009

The Communities and Local Government department is making progress on its housing goals, but has struggled to improve planning, according to its annual report.

Failed asylum seekers swell homeless numbers

13/07/2009

More than one third of refused asylum seekers have been destitute for over a year, and two thirds of those come from countries with ongoing unrest that could be difficult to return to, a study has found.

Study supports contentious Westminster soup runs

13/07/2009

Soup runs are filling an important gap in services for rough sleepers, according to a new report part-funded by one of their biggest critics.

Murder rates could rise if support funds are cut

10/07/2009

Murder rates are likely to rise and more children could be taken into care if Supporting People funding is cut.

Taste of the future

10/07/2009