Removing the cliff edge: why housing and employment support must work together

Housing and employment should reinforce each other. Yet the systems designed to support them do not always work together, sometimes creating barriers just as people are ready to take their next step.

That is why a recent change to Housing Benefit matters.

New rules introduced on 5 October change how Housing Benefit is calculated for eligible people in supported and temporary accommodation. The Government says the change will allow people to keep more of what they earn when they move into work or increase their hours, addressing a longstanding financial "cliff edge".

At Forward, we welcome the change because we see first-hand how closely housing and employment are connected.

A home and a job are not separate ambitions

Someone living in supported accommodation may be ready to work while still needing the stability their housing provides. Previously, differences between Housing Benefit and Universal Credit rules meant Housing Benefit could reduce more quickly as someone's earnings increased.

This could work against the very progress that housing and employment services are trying to support.

The new arrangements give eligible residents greater scope to enter employment, work more hours or increase their earnings while retaining the housing support they still need. That matters because employment offers much more than a wage. It can provide purpose, raise confidence, improve skills and promote independence and greater choice about what comes next in life.

Connecting housing and employment

Forward provides housing and employment support as part of integrated service models, because the challenges people face rarely exist in isolation.

Our housing services include supported accommodation and help to access and sustain an independent home. Our employment offer includes Individual Placement and Support, Connect to Work, Adult Skills and Restart, often focused on sustainable employment.

The UK’s benefits system can feel overwhelming for people using it for the first time or needing to understand the implications of a change of circumstances e.g., starting a job.  So, our staff across housing and employability work hard to simplify the system so people can quickly find out what financial support they may be entitled to o

nce they enter work and progress in it.

Bringing these services together wherever possible creates opportunities to plan around the whole person. Someone can build the stability they need while also pursuing their ambitions for work, independence and a secure future.

The Housing Benefit change makes that transition more achievable. But policy alone is not enough. People also need clear benefits advice, suitable move-on housing and trusted support shaped around their individual circumstances

Making the whole system work for people

The change will not remove every obstacle, but it shows what can be achieved when barriers between different parts of people’s lives are reduced.

Housing and employability providers, commissioners and Job Centre Plus Work Coaches now have an opportunity to build on the change by working more closely together. People should not have to choose between the security of their home and the opportunity to work.

For Forward, whole-system working is not simply about bringing more services together. It means making the right connections around each person, so that progress in one area becomes the foundation for lasting change across their life.

Find out more about Forward’s Housing and Employment Services

Contact Jess and Gee by email:

Gee.punia@forwardtrust.org.uk

Jessica.morley@forwardtrust.org.uk