A caring community: helping the most vulnerable
Homelessness and Housing Rights
Plaid Cymru is committed to creating a fairer, kinder Wales that is able to protect our most vulnerable people. The actions of the Government in Westminster are having a negative impact on many communities in Wales. A Plaid Cymru Government will seek to transfer control of appropriate welfare powers to Wales and do everything possible to protect people from the damage caused by Westminster’s cuts to benefits and inappropriate, unfair benefits sanctions. We will use the Welsh Government’s discretionary housing payments power to compensate in full those families affected by the withdrawal of benefit under the Bedroom Tax. While continuing to oppose cuts from the Westminster Government, we will provide support for antipoverty measures, including the Supporting People programme, and anti-poverty networks such as Citizens Advice Bureaux, food banks and others to provide immediate support and advice, including benefit entitlements. We will develop a Child Poverty Action Plan to particularly tackle child poverty, which affects one in three children in Wales, and will mitigate the problems of fuel poverty by creating a system of locally owned energy companies.
Plaid Cymru will take effective action to end homelessness in Wales, using preventative measures to keep people in their homes and protect people from eviction whenever possible. We will end the intentionality test for those who are facing homelessness and repeal the Pereira Test from the Housing (Wales) Act in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling in England. We will grant Local Authorities and Housing Associations greater discretion to avoid evictions when arrears are caused by welfare cuts including the Bedroom Tax. We will adopt a no evictions policy in such circumstances. We will end the placement of under-18s in Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
We will work to tackle poverty and unemployment amongst ethnic minorities in Wales, ensuring that services and support are in place so that all citizens can reach their potential.
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