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Home Group invests £50m in supported housing following LHA announcement
One of the UK’s largest housing associations has announced £50m of capital investment in supported housing following Theresa May’s U-turn over the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) cap.
Nationwide provider Home Group, which owns and manages more than 53,400 homes, will pour the cash into three schemes expected to total 229 units for older people and people with learning disabilities.
It comes after the prime minister revealed that the government has dropped plans to cap housing benefit in the social housing and supported housing sectors in parliament today.
Sector leaders have widely welcomed the move.
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“Today’s announcement that all Local Housing Allowance caps for all supported and social housing would be scrapped is fantastic news and really puts the whole of the supported and social housing sector on a long-term sustainable footing,” said Rachael Byrne, executive director of care and support at Home Group.
“This is evidence that the government recognises the impact that our sectors deliver, in providing high-quality affordable and supported homes.”
The three schemes, in Southampton, Calderdale and Scarborough, have been on hold since 2016, but development is now expected to begin from March 2018.
Home Group had been considering dropping two of the schemes in order to be able to push forward with one before Ms May’s announcement.
It now hopes to push ahead with plans to deliver another 1,800 supported homes.
Anchor, Hanover and Housing & Care 21 chief executives Jane Ashcroft, Clare Tickell and Bruce Moore have issued a joint statement.
“We are pleased that the sector and the older, vulnerable people we serve do appear to have been listened to,” the statement read.
“It will be crucial to look at the detail of the revised approach being produced next week and the forthcoming Autumn Budget. We will want assurance that the new approach does reflect real costs as well as maintaining housing benefit and ensuring the affordability of older people’s housing for those on fixed incomes.”
Yvonne Arrowsmith, chief executive of L&Q Living, said: “This is great news for the sector and is evidence that the government is listening to the housing industry.”
Stuart Ropke, chief executive of Community Housing Cymru, said he was “delighted” at the news. The organisation, which represents housing associations in Wales, released a report yesterday warning that the cap would make social housing “unaffordable” in some parts of the country.
