Dean SprucePrison and Rough Sleeping
VOICES Communications officer Dean Spruce speaks to a VOICES customer who has recently been released from prison, about their experience and what has happened since being released.
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Universal Credit and Universal Credit Housing Costs: Prisoners
By Karen Dunn, Specialist benefits advisor, Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent
In this months installment from our resident benefits expert, Karen looks at the most up to date definitions and information around how prison sentences can affect Universal Credit claims and claimants.
Prisoners
For Universal Credit (UC) you are counted as a prisoner if you are:
Detained in custody – whether pending trial, pending sentence, on conviction, or sentenced by a court; or
On temporary release (home leave or release on temporary licence).
You cannot get UC standard allowance if you are a prisoner or a hospital detainee.
You can continue to get UC housing costs for the first 6 months if:
You are single and were entitled to UC immediately before you became a prisoner; and
The calculation of that award of UC included a UC housing costs element; and
You have not been sentenced, or have been sentenced to a term that is not expected to exceed 6 months.
You do not count as a ‘prisoner’ for UC housing costs if you are detained in hospital (therefore if UC housing costs is in place when detained in hospital this will not be affected and will remain in pay)
Once you are… Continue Reading