1 Southwark Direct Payment Demonstrator Project 31st July

Southwark’s vital statistics! Council Tax households 122,000 –CTRS 24,000 of which 19,000 paying for first time HB Caseload 42,000 –30,000 council tenants –4,000 private LHA –5,500 RSL Benefit Cap 300 starts Aug Under-occupancy

3 Demonstrator project overview Current set up 6 Demonstrator LA’s across the country –Southwark, Wakefield, Oxford and Shropshire –Torfaen - Wales –Edinburgh – Scotland 3 LA landlords 9 Housing Associations/providers What we are doing and who it affects –1,474 Southwark Residents (LBS) –525 Family Mosaic Residents Potential to inform and influence: –Universal Credit design to help our customers –Voluntary and 3rd sector support agencies 3

4 Our approach February 2012 –Mapping existing support provision March 2012 –2,000 tenants advised of selection Exceptions planned – Pensioners exempt from selection –Request for bank details and completion of a ‘self-assessment’ support needs survey May 2012 –Advice Days provided June 2012 –First tenants switched onto DP June 2013 –Project extended by 6 months to investigate Welfare Reforms 4

5 ‘Scores on the doors’ 5 To date over £3.5 million has been paid in Housing Benefit directly

Support to those affected by DP… –191 referrals from Southwark Unknown risk and needs Offered a total of 16 separate drop-in sessions 30% of those referred were assessed – of these; –28% felt able to manage DP without support –27% felt able to manage DP with support –16% felt unable to manage DP and accepted support –22% felt unable to manage DP and refused the offer of support BUT: Overall 80% of those referred have not taken up offer 6 Referred ……

Intensive engagement –Gathering a snapshot of needs -15 people –Four door-stop visits each at a different time of day Outcomes –9 assessments completed – of these; 4 were willing to engage with support all had an awareness of DP 3 were unaware of upcoming welfare changes 7 Outcomes…… Findings Support needs (clients may have been assess with more than one support need) –41% Debt/budgeting –28% Mental ill health –14% Literacy/ Learning difficulties –18% Benefit issues –16% Physical health –10% Employment –9% Substance use –7% No bank account Resource intensive Majority of those assessed were not known to services

Observations Support is resource intensive –getting people to engage takes time People prefer face to face contact People prefer one to one advice Drop in ongoing advice sessions / open days not always a success Income Officer patch increases –From 900 (LBS) /750(FM) households to 500 And in practice only half of the 500 are actually on DP The switchback process has revealed more support needs where people have found themselves struggling to manage

Key challenges for us Rent arrears rise in spite of extra costs –How will the extra costs be funded? Not clear how UC will manage the switchback process –Lack of automated links with UC will make process unworkable –Key learning from DPDPs is that the close relationship between Landlord and LA is vital to process operation Data sharing still unresolved Effective delivery of support, with an outcome that reduces arrears –Levels of support in project are not scalable to BAU Q. What is the perception of support? 9

10 Any questions? Karen Michael