Housing Rights highlights looming March 2020 Cliff Edge at NIFHA’s Annual Conference

Earlier this month, Kerry Logan, Policy Officer with Housing Rights, spoke at the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association’s Annual Conference. The aim of the conference was to share good practice and discuss key developments in the social housing sector. Conference delegates included housing association leaders, representatives from the Department for Communities, statutory and voluntary agencies, as well as professional and commercial suppliers.

Conference speakers included:

• Permanent Secretary, Tracey Meharg, who spoke about where our Social Housing Development programme is going and how can we get there faster.
• Director of Resident Scrutiny and Involvement at Optivo, Laura Bradley, who shared best practice in putting residents at the heart of decision making.
• Western Health and Social Care Trust representatives, Máire Boyle and Róisín McDermott, who highlighted the importance of NI’s Supporting People Programme
• Chair of NIHE, Prof. Peter Roberts who announced the launch of  NIFHA’s Benefits to Society NI report.

Kerry Logan highlights issues around welfare reform mitigations end

Housing Rights was pleased to have the opportunity to present at a session themed ‘Welfare Reform: putting people at the heart of the process.’ Kerry highlighted issues regarding the March 2020 Cliff Edge, when the welfare reform mitigations are due to end, including:

• The protection the welfare reform mitigations package have provided so far.
• The fact that many people are unaware of the approaching cliff edge.
• The Department for Communities’ Review of the Mitigation Schemes in which they made clear that, in the continued absence of an NI assembly, they would not be able to make amendments to extend the existing mitigations legislation.
• The Westminster Joint Inquiry report which called for the mitigations package to be extended for a further four years and, in the absence of an NI Executive, for the UK Government to bring forward this legislation.
• The administrative and operational issues which would arise if Discretionary Housing Payments were to be relied upon to mitigate the Bedroom Tax and Benefit Cap (as has been proposed by the Westminster Joint Inquiry and the Department for Communities, as a last resort, if the legislation is not passed.)
• The new challenges, such as Universal Credit and increasing affordability issues faced by low income private renters, which have compounded the difficulties faced by people affected by the end of welfare mitigations.
• The Cliff Edge NI Coalition, are a group of over 100 member organisations, who have joined together to campaign for continued and strengthened welfare reform mitigations.