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NHF calls for housing associations to play larger role in Universal Credit roll-out
The National Housing Federation (NHF) has called for housing associations to have a larger role in the migration of benefit claimants to Universal Credit.
The NHF has said that allowing more data-sharing between its members, local authorities and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) would help identify and reach claimants in need of support.
The call came as the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) launched a consultation on the transition to Universal Credit, which will take place in phases from 2019 to 2023.
SSAC’s consultation closes on 20 August, after which it will feed recommendations back to the government.
Sue Ramsden, policy leader for the NHF, said that the government should work with housing associations to reach claimants on the legacy benefit system who might need to be alerted to the migration.
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“What we are asking for is for the DWP to approach us as a partnership,” she told Inside Housing. “Data-sharing would help. If you have advance warning of who will be migrating where and when, then you can alert people.
“It would be far easier for associations to manage this with advance warning.”
Ms Ramsden also raised the problem of identifying cases of exceptions and ‘easements’, where those with complex needs are granted extensions to their migration to Universal Credit.
The DWP will send a letter informing people of the need to make a Universal Credit claim at least a month in advance, but this could be extended to three months for vulnerable claimants or those with complex needs.
Although claims can be backdated within a month, the NHF has said this might not allow enough time to identify exceptional cases.
In a briefing note detailing its response to the SSAC consultation, the NHF said: “The proposed easements and exceptions in the migration process for vulnerable people place a great deal of reliance on DWP staff identifying vulnerabilities and people with complex needs. Experience of Universal Credit so far shows that this is not always possible.
“It may take longer than a month for someone to seek help or for a problem to be picked up. Backdating should be extended beyond a month and people should not lose their right to transitional protection.”
The NHF has also called for the roll-out of migration to be done on a geographical basis “so that housing associations and local partners can effectively plan and allocate resources to support tenants and local communities”.
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