Breakthrough for supported housing: New Housing Benefit Regulations
At Your Place, we work alongside each resident to help them grow, develop, and rebuild after experiencing homelessness. A key part of the support we provide is helping people to move into employment and training, where they can build confidence, develop new skills and start saving towards independent living.
Last year our team supported 37 residents to secure or sustain employment and 128 residents engaged in education, training and employment opportunities.
Being in work and building towards employment helps people re-establish routine, have a sense of purpose and build financial independence. That’s why we’re delighted to see the changes to Housing Benefit Regulations announced by the Government this week, which will allow more people living in supported accommodation to work without losing access to vital housing support benefits.
The new rules, which will come into effect by October 2026, will support over 300,000 people living in homelessness accommodation to gain employment while ensuring their rent for supported housing remains secure.
The current system created a ‘cliff-edge’ problem, where the threshold for how much people could work while receiving Housing Benefit was so low that people were often cut off from receiving their rent payments even if they worked a small amount.
Your Place worked alongside Homeless Link and Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, to lobby for these changes, and we’re pleased to see the Government taking action to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are not forced out of employment.
For our residents, this will ensure they are able to sustain employment long-term and progress towards positive, independent futures.
Our CEO, Amanda Dubarry, shares:
“Every day, our team works alongside residents to help them take steps towards employment and training. That support looks like helping to build CVs, identifying skills and career goals and connecting residents with local opportunities. We know that employment and engagement in training and education opportunities are central to long-term stability for residents,
Until now, Housing Benefit rules meant that residents at Your Place were restricted in how much they could work and earn. These changes are a hugely positive step and will support our work to get more residents into employment and will help residents build further skills and confidence while maintaining the security of their housing payments.”
