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Although the Supporting People budget was cut by £10m in 2014/15, Community Housing Cymru and Cymorth Cymru welcomed its protection in last year’s budget and are urging Welsh Government to protect it again in the draft budget expected in October. With the UK Government’s announcement last autumn that housing benefit will be capped at the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for tenants in the social housing sector, the future is worryingly uncertain. Specialist housing for vulnerable, homeless, disabled and older people has higher rent levels because it is more expensive to build and manage. CHC’s research shows that 77% of specified accommodation (including hostels for the homeless and refuges for victims of domestic abuse) currently managed by Welsh housing associations is over the current LHA rate. Many schemes would therefore not be viable if this type of accommodation is not exempt from the cap. The UK Government has conducted a review into the impact and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks. With this level of uncertainty already existing across the UK, the campaign organisers are urging the Welsh Government to provide some certainty and to protect the SP funding stream for a programme that is clearly working.
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