Leading think tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), today
recommended that specialist, income-linked ‘stepping stone' homes
should be delivered to enable people living in supported housing
to move on into independent living and full-time work without
losing either income or accommodation.
To deliver this, changes should be made to the Renters Reform
Bill which is due to return to Parliament this week. Exceptions
must be made to minimum space standards and the forthcoming
removal of fixed-term tenancies to unlock a new generation of
‘stepping stone' accommodation.
The latest polling indicates that the public overwhelmingly
approve of these schemes. Fewer than one in four people believe
that the official definition of ‘affordable housing' lives up to
its name, according to polling commissioned by the Centre for
Social Justice.
Ministers have targeted funds for social housing on so-called
‘affordable rent' properties in which tenants pay a charge linked
to private rented houses and flats in the locality. But because
levels of rent in big cities such as London are so high, the new
homes are out of the reach of many low-income tenants.
Supported by the Nationwide Foundation, the CSJ's
report, Living Rent that Works: Unlocking Genuinely
Affordable Homes for Thriving Lives documents how
regional authorities are tackling the mismatch through ‘living
rent' schemes that link rent levels to local incomes.
New polling conducted by Opinium finds that just a quarter (25
per cent) of the population think market-linked rents are fairer,
whilst far more (close to half at 47 per cent) think
income-linked rents are fairer.
Secretary of State Michael Gove has admitted that the affordable
housing policy has created homes “that are not truly
affordable”. The CSJ recommends that future
governments should up their ambition and create a new affordable
housing tenure by embracing the living rent concept being
pioneered by local councils and mayors.
Its report also documents how income-linked rents can enable
residents of supported housing to move into full-time work,
removing the Catch 22 where working beyond around 16 hours per
week leaves them on a cliff edge of benefit withdrawal.
Sophia Worringer, Deputy Policy Director at the Centre for Social
Justice said:
“Polling for the Centre for Social Justice shows that the
overwhelming majority of people no longer believe that affordable
housing is genuinely affordable. While in the long term it is
imperative that the Government increases overall housing supply,
there are actions the Government can take in the short term to
relieve the pressure now, including by making changes to the
Renters Reform Bill to unlock more stepping stone accommodation
which allows those in supported housing to move into full time
work. The Government should also look at what is being done by
city authorities across the country on Living
Rent."
Jonathan Lewis, Programme Manager at the Nationwide
Foundation, said:
"At the Nationwide Foundation, our goal is for everyone to
have a decent and affordable place to call home. But as housing
costs continue to rise, more and more people face the reality of
increasingly unaffordable rents, even when those rents are being
offered at supposedly affordable rates.
"In the midst of a housing crisis, we urgently need reforms
that will have a long-lasting impact and help create a fairer
housing system. Introducing a 'Living
Rent' rent model, which is linked to
incomes rather than market rates, could be an effective
solution to the crisis of housing affordability for many,
providing genuinely affordable rented homes for people who need
them and helping them build solid foundations for themselves and
their families."
ENDS
Please find the full report here.
