NEWS Benefit changes may bring risks for homeless people says Manager Angela Carter LeatherHead Start and other charities are now preparing for the impact of the welfare benefit changes amid rising homelessness. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 makes the biggest changes to benefits since the 1940s. The Act’s stated aim is ‘reforming the welfare system to help more people to move into and progress in work, while supporting the most vulnerable’. That remains to be proved. But LeatherHead Start and other agencies working with vulnerable people all over the country are aware of the unintended consequences that may occur when the changes begin this autumn, taking effect in Surrey next year. We have to speak up for vulnerable individuals with complex social and medical needs who may otherwise be forced into unsuitable work or
fall foul of a direct monthly payment system which leads them into debt. Homeless Link, the national organisation for front-line homelessness charities in England says: ‘Claimants using homelessness services are amongst the poorest in society and often some of those furthest from the labour market. In creating a universal credit model for the majority of claimants, it is important to ensure it also works for homeless people rather than inadvertently marginalising them’. These changes take us into uncharted waters. LeatherHead Start has a welltrained team ready to help our clients to navigate safely. We will keep case studies of their voyage and report back in our next newsletter.
Go to getwisesurrey.org.uk for help and advice on the benefit changes.