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Welfare Reform

Welfare mitigation payment update

25 June 2020

The Department for Communities has written to the Cliff Edge Coalition to confirm that existing mitigation payments will continue until 30 September 2020 and that a draft Bill to provide for mitigation payments for people affected by the Bedroom Tax has been shared with the Executive.

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Welfare Reform

Covid 19 causes 80% increase in UC claims

12 May 2020

Over 126,000 people in Northern Ireland were claiming Universal Credit on 26 April 2020, an increase of 80% from the figure of 70,000 claimants just 8 weeks earlier on 1 March, according to recently released information from the Department for Communities. The number of applications during that 8-week period totalled 65,700.

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Benefits, Coronavirus, Welfare Reform

Welfare Mitigations Cliff Edge avoided but work remains to be done

3 April 2020

In the past year over 100 member organisations involved in the Cliff Edge Coalition have been urgently calling for welfare mitigations to be extended beyond 31st March 2020 and strengthened to take account of the new challenges such as Universal Credit, including the two-child limit, and cuts to housing benefits in the private rented sector.

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Benefits, Welfare Reform

How the Assembly can deal with housing problems created by Covid-19

Policy Briefing
March 2020

This briefing paper details the ways in which we foresee Covid-19 and associated economic fallout impacting on homelessness and housing in Northern Ireland. It includes measures which we believe Government can take to cushion some of the worst impacts and help vulnerable people at this unique and troubling time. 

PDF icon Policy briefing in response to Covid-19 20032020.pdf

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Benefits, Social Tenancies, Private Tenancies, Welfare Reform, Homelessness

Cliff Edge Coalition meets Communities Minister to discuss welfare mitigations

5 February 2020

Last week Housing Rights’ Policy Team were part of a delegation of Cliff Edge NI Coalition members who met last week with Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey, along with senior Department for Communities officials Colum Boyle and Anne McCleary.

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Welfare Reform

Bedroom tax mitigations to be extended beyond March 2020 Cliff Edge

3 February 2020

Leading housing advice charity, Housing Rights, has today (Monday 3rd February) welcomed an announcement by the Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA, that legislation will be introduced to extend the bedroom tax mitigation beyond March 2020, when this vital protection was otherwise due to end.

Speaking about the announcement, Housing Rights Policy & Practice Manager Kate McCauley said:

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Housing Rights priorities for the new Assembly

20 January 2020

With Stormont back up and running, our Policy & Practice Manager, Kate McCauley has had a look at the key areas which Housing Rights hopes will be prioritised over the coming months by the new Minister and those MLAs appointed to Stormont’s Comm

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Welfare Reform, Policy, Homelessness, NI Assembly

New Decade New Approach Deal commits to review and extend welfare mitigations

15 January 2020

As co-conveners of the Cliff Edge Coalition NI, Housing Rights strongly welcomes the commitment in the New Decade New Approach deal to review and extend welfare mitigations beyond March 2020 to protect low-income households from t

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Welfare Reform, Policy

Universal Credit contingency fund access criteria relaxed

30 December 2019

From 1 January 2019 new claimants of Universal Credit will have access to a contingency fund without having to first apply for an advance payment. 

The contingency fund was set up to assist those who had moved to Universal Credit, following explicit recommendations in the Evason Report for a fund "...to make emergency payments where hardship occurs as a result difficulties which are not due to any fault on the part of the claimant." 

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Benefits, Welfare Reform

Northern Ireland Office report released on the future of welfare mitigations

5 December 2019

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) released a report providing an update on the future welfare mitigation support measures that will be in place after March 2020, in line with the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act 2019.

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Welfare Reform

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