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Budget opens door to extra room for carers

Campaigners have given a tentative welcome to the Chancellor’s announcement in his emergency budget on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for disabled people who need an extra room for a live-in carer.

LHA is a discretionary top-up to Housing Benefit which Local Authorities can make available to people seen as being in most need.

But up till now the Allowance has not been available to disabled people who need a larger house to accommodate live-in care.

In a fleeting reference during his budget speech Chancellor Osborne said that LHA would now be extended to this group of people.

Linda Burnip, campaign co-ordinator of the Local Housing Allowance Reform Group, said: "I heard it and thought 'do I really believe that' so I played it back. I don't know any of the details about the small print but from what was said it sounds very promising."

She added: "The Department for Work and Pensions( DWP) estimated that there were 15,000 disabled people who needed overnight care so that's 15,000 people who will be able to live without being forced into poverty."

In terms of disabled people being able to afford to live independently this is a positive step. But I still think that this does not address any of the issues about the extra housing needs that disabled people have in terms of needing extra space for wheelchairs or kidney dialysis or to store equipment. I think that the Department of Health are working with the DWP to look at those issues."

Local Housing Allowance changes

Posted by Linda Burnip at 23 Jun 10 21:31

having now read the samll print from the budget while I remain pleased that there will be some extra money available for disabled people from this for an extra room for non-resident carer(s) from April 2011 I am hugely shocked to find that the rates for LHA will be reduced from October 2011 from am eligible rent based on the 50th percentile down drastically to an eligible rent based on 30th percentile. This certainly will not in any way allow disabled people who may need extra space to meet their needs to be able to afford to rent a suitable property and will contine to force disabled people who cannot rent in the social housing sector into yet further poverty and potentially homelessness, and a life in residential care both of which will be a much greater financial burden on the state.If the government's real aim is to reduce spending then I cannot see the logic they are applying to these decisions.

Local housing Benefit changes

Posted by Linda Burnip at 24 Jun 10 13:17

Overall the changes are analogous to being given a crumb but having the rest of the slice of bread taken away.

Local Housing Allowance

Posted by Linda Burnip at 24 Jun 10 18:14

Someone has asked me about the use of the term non-resident carers by DWP so just to try to clarify this. At the moment if you have a relative who lives with you and provides care they are entitled to an extra room if it is their main home also. If you need care at night provided by an employee, either a live-in carer whose main home is not with you, or a team of carers/PAs then you cannot get funding for an extra room that is needed by them to sleep in in order to carry out their work duties.This latter group of carers/PAs is what DWP refer to now as non-resident carers.Hopefully this will not cause to much confusion when people make claims in future.

carer

Posted by vivienne gouldthorpe at 08 Nov 10 15:47

to what i have read above its now going to be calulated when u apply for housing benifit that even if there is only two of you that u may still need exstra space for your carer which will be classed as third person but what about likes of folks like me my husband suffers fits and very restless nites quite often i end up on sofa which is not good for me as i have bad back and other probs my self yet when i put down that we needed exstra room so i can get some sleep it made no diference i carnt get his other carer to stay for nite or two so i get break cos no where for them to sleep either we hav two girls and they say only pay for 3 bed so we had to move yet agian as we carnt afford the exstra you hav to put to your rent and if they cut it even more in few months then we will struggle with out a doubt cos the smaller houses are just not big enough for things we need

LHA

Posted by Chay Lockyer at 02 Aug 10 12:38

This article is factually incorrect.
LHA is NOt a discretionary top-up to Housing benefit but rather the means by which the amount of Housing Benefit a claiment is entitled to is calculated.

The writer may be referring to DHP, or Discretionary Housing Payments.

extra room for carer

Posted by Graham Wright at 07 Apr 11 15:17

could you please clarrify that a disabled person can now apply for an extra room if you are HUABAND AND WIFE caring for each other but need someone to stay overnight once or twice a week so that i can have a good undisturbed night,thankyou.

Extra Room For Carer

Posted by Clive Arnold at 05 May 11 14:52

I've just got off the phone with our council and it seems they want someone providing care (NOT providing respite! Go figure) for at least 3 or 4 nights PER WEEK! This effectively means living with you.

It looks like an 'extra room' won't be paid for by most councils if they adopt this reasoning.

From what I gleaned NO ONE in this area has been able to access this

Non resident room allowance

Posted by Neville Surrell at 27 Nov 11 17:12

Resident Carers, Often Spouses or Partners cannot share a room any longer with their disabled loved ones, due to mechanical medical equipment, Therefore Resident Carers who do require their own separate room are being descriminated against. what would the government have us do. Move out and come to live with our wives or husbands for 4 plus nights a week and spend all day with them? No , t is easier to threaten the tenancies of these vulnerable citizens. We Carers already save the Government a great deal of money and it seems very unjust to suggest that we are not allowed our own room within an already suitably adapted house.

More needs to be done in the respect of a carers room allowance and not have it limited to only to non resident carers,

Budget opens door to extra room for carers

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