Your Place responds to the Autumn Budget
This week’s Autumn Budget had a large focus on the cost of living crisis in the UK. While we were disappointed that supported housing and homelessness didn’t play a significant role in the speech itself, we were very excited that the Chancellor announced a key change to the way housing benefit works for people in temporary or supported housing who start work. We have been campaigning on this and raising our concerns about the current disincentive to work for those living in supported housing with our Patron and local MP, Sir Stephen Timms, and we have worked with Sir Stephen’s team at the DWP to provide our residents insights and our insights into the problem, and to feedback on their proposals to fix this. These proposals have now been approved for implementation in Autumn 2026.
Arthur*, who is a current resident at Your Place, explained his experience with the punitive policy : “I found a full-time job, and I truly believed it would change my life, that I could finally move forward. But I was shocked by the sudden financial pressures that fell on me, and I quickly found myself sinking into arrears. I tried so hard to keep going, but I kept asking myself: Why does the system punish me so harshly for trying to build a stable life? After more than a year and a half of exhausting effort and overwhelming stress, I reached a point where I could no longer cope. I had to resign from my job, which I loved, after constant financial strain left me unable to sleep. Since then, my key worker at Your Place helped me assess my options, and I’m now looking forward to getting back to work. The change in the law will help people like me to move in the right direction, so I’m hopeful about the future.”
This new policy will help people like Arthur* to make sustainable choices for their lives, leading to greater independence and better prospects for the future.
Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive at Your Place, said: “We are pleased to see that the cost of living has been a focus of this Budget, as the drastic rise in homelessness in recent years has been largely due to the effect that the cost of living is having on people from all walks of life. We have been working with the DWP this year to advocate for people in supported housing so that they aren’t facing a cliff-edge with their Housing Benefits once they start working. This will make the journey of moving on from homelessness so much easier for our residents, as they can access work and the financial stability that earning brings without disproportionate restrictions on how much of their income they retain. This will allow them to be better prepared for independent living.
“While Your Place only work with single adults, and not families, we know that poverty and homelessness go hand in hand, and the removal of the two-child benefit cap will mean more stability and security, and better opportunities for families to maintain their accommodation. Prevention is a huge part of reducing the number of people facing homelessness, so we’re pleased to see this. There is so much more work to be done, but when we talk about solving homelessness one person at a time, policy changes like this make it closer to reality for our residents and many others in the community.”
*Our resident has asked for their name to be changed to protect their privacy
