Sex offenders forced into shared houses
Paedophiles and rapists who used to receive payments enabling them to live on their own could be moved into shared homes with women and children, due to housing benefit reforms.
In January the government introduced changes that raised the age - from 25 to 35 - at which it would pay single people enough to cover the cost of renting a one-bedroom flat. Instead they will be given enough money to rent a room in a shared house.
The government had pledged to exempt ‘ex-offenders who could pose a serious risk of harm to the public if they lived in shared accommodation’ from the change.
But an investigation by Inside Housing has revealed that the vast majority of sex offenders are not deemed dangerous enough to receive an exemption. The Department for Work and Pensions had previously indicated, on the last page of its impact assessment into the reform, that ex-offenders managed at level two or three under multi agency public protection arrangements - those requiring the most intensive monitoring - would receive an exemption.
Ministry of Justice figures reveal that just 1,560 of the 37,225 registered sex offenders in England and Wales fall into this category. There is no age breakdown available for the remaining 35,665 level one offenders but it is clear the majority of sex offenders between the ages of 25 and 34 who previously qualified for payments so they could live alone will no longer do so.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice confirmed ‘level one’ offenders include paedophiles and rapists.
Vivienne Hayes, chief executive of the Women’s Resources Centre, said the news left her ‘very concerned that the safety of women and girls is secondary to the cuts’. Single mothers would not be housed in shared accommodation but people without sole custody could be.
A spokesperson for the DWP said it was ‘keeping this policy under review and will continue to work with the Ministry of Justice to minimise any potential risks’. She added: ‘Ex-offenders not covered by the exemption who are deemed unsuitable to share accommodation can apply for a discretionary housing payment if it is felt inappropriate for them to share.’
Previous shared accommodation rules, which applied to under-25s only, did not exempt level two and three offenders, she added.
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