Welfare Reform – Keeping on Track

B4: Data sharing – who knows what and why?

Speakers: Wendy Pretten

Head of Income Collection and Community Safety Places for People

Sam Duffy

Project Manager for Welfare Reform and Financial Inclusion Places for People Chair: Sue Ramsden Policy Leader National Housing Federation

Data Sharing – Who Knows What And Why?

Wendy Pretten - Head of Income Collection and Community Safety

Sam Duffy - Project Manager - Welfare Reform and Financial Inclusion

Places For People

Places for People Group owns and manages over 143,000 homes across the UK

Services are delivered by specialist dedicated teams

The Income collection service is split into two specialist centres managing approximately 51,800 accounts dealing with a variety of tenures including rented, shared ownership, leasehold & supported tenancies.

The two centres cover 237 Local Authority areas and manage an annual debit of £245,845,045

Income Collection Centre

Consists of 84 staff including:

60 local & centre account managers working together to manage the accounts and support customers

Two teams with a total of 10 staff providing admin support

Money Advice Team - 3 Benefit & Income Advisors

Welfare Reform & Financial Inclusion Project Team of 3

What Will This Session Cover?

The role of Housing Associations in:

Identifying and supporting vulnerable claimants and those that may require direct payments

Identifying those customers to transfer over to Universal Credit first and the part they can play

Support in place to inform and prepare customers for the welfare reforms

What Will This Session Cover?

Why data sharing is essential for Housing Associations

What information we need

Why we need it

What support we can provide customers if we receive it

Our role in the verification process

Lobbying and influencing the DWP and Government

Supporting Our Customers

Stepchange

Partnership agreement with StepChange Debt Charity to provide customers with free confidential advice and support

Their team of experts help people to overcome their debt problems and get their lives back on track.

Providing free management plans, budgeting advice, insolvency solutions, Payday loan debt advice, help with court action and a tailored budget to send to creditors.

Allowing our customers to take control of their finances

Sustaining Tenancies

Early intervention

Promoting Discretionary Housing Payments

Maximising income

Priority expenditure

Identifying ways to save money on household bills

Banking Products

Assistance with setting up a banking facility to have Universal Credit paid into

Automatic payment method to ensure the rent is paid to be encouraged

Many banking products available to customers:

Current accounts: – High Street Banks and the Post Office

Budgeting accounts On-line managed accounts Credit Unions Visa pre-payment cards

Financial Capability

Many have a bank account but do not use it

Having access to a bank account does not mean that the individual can use their account effectively

There is a need to educate our customers on how to use their account appropriately

For customers to be deemed financially included they would require access to a fully functional bank account.

Support For Customers To Become

Financially Independent

Managing the Impact of the Welfare Reform

* Maximising income and encouraging planning for the future

* Improving financial confidence

* Tackling food and fuel poverty

* Improving access to affordable credit

* Cross tenure affordability

Affordability And Home Budget Starter Packs

Ensuring customers understand the cost of running a home

Helping customers become financially independent

Understanding applicants financial situation to ensure new customers can afford to sustain their tenancy

Digital Inclusion

The use of technology to improve the lives and life chances of people and the places in which they live

Customer profiling is essential when

writing a digital strategy. Consider:

Providing access to equipment and/or broadband in communal areas

Sign posting to hubs in libraries, job centres

Education and support

Appointing digital champions

Promotional literature and website to

highlight the benefits of being on line • Saving money • Stay in touch with family • Purchasing goods • Information gathering

Data Sharing

Data Sharing – Why Is It Crucial?

Many Registered Providers work closely with claimants and Local Authorities to support them through the claimant journey including when their circumstances change.

The change in service provision from Local Authority to DWP and disruption to channels of communication risks cutting the landlord out of the loop and restricting their ability to assist vulnerable tenants.

Data sharing will allow Registered Providers to target the support in the areas it is needed first and to factor in any additional resources that will be needed into future business planning

What Do We Do With It When We

Get It? Benefit Cap &

Under Occupation

Housing Associations were able to contact affected customers prior to these changes going live enabling them to provide support with: Payment options and how to budget Housing choices affordable to the customer Managing and prioritising debts Help with Discretionary Housing Payment applications

None of which would have been possible without data sharing

Implications Of Not Receiving

The Data

For the sector:

Risk to income

Risk to future financing

Risk to development opportunities

Legal costs

For Society:

Hitting the poorest places hardest

For the claimant:

Less support from landlord

Increased debt

Failed tenancies

Use of payday lenders and loan sharks

For the DWP:

Administrative burden

Rent Increase

Working Together

Housing Associations Role As Verifiers

Current

Staff have been trained by the Local Authorities to act as verifiers for Housing Benefit. This involves checking and evidencing customers circumstances and income and significantly speeds up the process for applicants

Future

The change in service provider from Local Authority to DWP and disruption to channels of communication risks removing from landlords the ability to assist with the verification process and other joint working arrangements currently in place increasing the administrative burden to the DWP

Fighting Fraud

The excellent line of communication

between ourselves and Local Authorities allows Housing Associations to flag up any issues of potential fraud.

Staff are out in the communities which

means they are sometimes the first

to be able to identify cases to be

reported to Housing Benefit

Departments for investigation

Influencing And Lobbying

In the past Places for People have campaigned with other RPs and have worked with CIH and NHF to give customers choice in relation to direct payment of housing costs

Data sharing protocol submitted

to the DWP concerning the

practical aspects of Universal

Credit which affect its business

and customers

Timescales For Roll Out

Feedback from the demonstration projects shows a need for intensive support which will require additional resources for Housing Associations

In order to plan for this a timetable for roll-out is essential A phased approach to roll-out is needed in order to support claimants through the process and to ensure success Concern that continued delays in the original roll out of Universal Credit could result in the remaining claimants moving over much quicker in order to meet the original deadline of 2017

Supporting A Successful Implementation Of Universal Credit

Identify claimants most likely to succeed to move

over first

Targeting areas that will move over first to ensure support is in place

Provide DWP with claimants

details that will require a

payment exception

Local Support Services Framework

Local Authority led

Joined up partnership working to deliver services specific to the local area

Housing Associations role in the LSSF will be to identify:

And supporting ‘vulnerable’ claimants

Those that may require a payment exception

Those that can transfer to Universal Credit first

Key to be a part of this from the start to access funding and to shape what the group will deliver, how and to whom.

Sharing Data With Housing Associations Is Crucial

In conclusion…….

Thank you for listening

Welfare Reform – Keeping on Track

B4: Data sharing – who knows what and why?

Speakers: Wendy Pretten

Head of Income Collection and Community Safety Places for People

Sam Duffy

Project Manager for Welfare Reform and Financial Inclusion Places for People Chair: Sue Ramsden Policy Leader National Housing Federation