Our friends and colleagues at Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent have recently produced a leaflet detailing changes to the way ‘housing allowance for single people’ is calculated. As a result of these changes, additional groups of care leavers and former hostel/refuge residents could be eligible for higher amounts of Universal Credit for housing costs or Housing Benefit, but the DWP/Council systems won’t identify them automatically.

If you or your organisation work to support people experiencing multiple disadvantage you can download a pdf copy for printing/reference here. We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues and networks.

The new rules include changes to:

• The shared accommodation rate
• New Rules for under 35’s
• Care Leavers under 25’s
• If you’ve lived in a hostel or refuge

Other special circumstances

• Disability Benefits
• Former Prisoners