[Skip to Content]
The Spring Budget - a missed opportunity

The Spring Budget - a missed opportunity

The Spring Budget - a missed opportunity

Monday, March 20, 2023

At St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity we have joined ten other charities calling on Chancellor to urgently unfreeze housing benefit, or force thousands of people out of their homes.

Wednesday's Budget failed to acknowledge the housing emergency. That's why we have signed this letter calling for the Prime Minister & Chancellor to end the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) freeze, which we know is a major factor driving the increase in homelessness.

In our Frontline Worker Survey, 42% of frontline workers stated that their ability to help someone access appropriate accommodation had decreased in the last 12 months. In particular, 90% of frontline staff reported that obtaining private rented accommodation for people they supported was ‘very difficult’ or ‘difficult’.

The majority (63%) of frontline workers thought that keeping the LHA rate frozen at 2020/21 levels would increase homelessness over the next year. 

“Private landlords are raising their rents, meanwhile the LHA remains the same. It's clear this will leave many struggling to meet the costs of their rent and they will build arrears.” 

“The LHA rate in London needs to be scrapped or at least reviewed so that it reflects the housing market, allowing homeless individuals more options to find appropriate and affordable housing.”

“As far as the LHA rates are concerned, they provide a massive blocker for households looking for their own private rental accommodation and for local authorities trying to help homeless applicants, particularly in view of the chronic shortage of social housing…” 

Read more about the letter here and take a look at the findings of our latest research with frontline homelessness workers across the UK. 

News and Views

collapse/expand
  • Brain Injury Guidance

    Brain Injury Guidance

    Leigh Andrews of Change Communication offered specialist advice on brain injuries and homelessness through a digital...
  • End Furniture Poverty Survey

    End Furniture Poverty Survey

    End Furniture Poverty have recently spoken with the Frontline Network to discuss their important ongoing survey, seek...
  • Cover the Cost Campaign

    Cover the Cost Campaign

    Jasmine Basran, Senior Policy Officer at Crisis, talks to us about the Cover the Cost Campaign, asking the Government...
  • VRF Impact Report 2018/19

    VRF Impact Report 2018/19

    Over the past year we have given out 3827 grants totaling £1,156,805 through the VRF. Read the latest Impact Report t...
  • Influence from the Frontline

    Influence from the Frontline

    Frontline workers are crucial at giving insight into the viewpoints of the people they work with as well as the chall...
  • The Vagrancy Act

    The Vagrancy Act

    Crisis, along with others including Homeless Link, Cymorth Cymru, Centrepoint, St Mungo’s, Shelter Cymru and the Wall...
  • Influencing local decisions

    Influencing local decisions

    Zoe, Frontline Network Coordinator at Coventry Citizens Advice, talks to us about the Coventry Frontline Network and...
  • The Litigant in Person Network

    The Litigant in Person Network

    Martha de la Roche, Network Development Manager at Litigant in Person Network (LiP Network), tells us about The LiP N...
  • VRF Impact Report

    VRF Impact Report

    Find out what impact VRF had last year and how to get involved in shaping its direction in the coming year.
  • Housing First Scotland

    Housing First Scotland

    Please see here for the first issue of Housing First Connect - a twice-yearly newsletter for Scotland’s new Housing F...
  • Slaying the Dragon

    Slaying the Dragon

    Will Golding, Edinburgh Tutor at Crisis, talks to us about 'Slaying the Dragon'.
  • CPAG - Early Warning System

    CPAG - Early Warning System

    Dan Norris, from CPAG, talks to us about a new Early Warning System to record the impact of benefit changes implement...
  • The Hostile Environment

    The Hostile Environment

    Bethan Lant, a Project lead from Praxis, writes about the creation of a hostile environment for migrants and refugees.
  • Wrexham’s Crisis Cafe

    Wrexham’s Crisis Cafe

    Sinead Kelleher writes about Wrexham's Crisis Cafe, a multi-agency response to Universal Credit.
  • Frontline Worker Survey

    Frontline Worker Survey

    We are asking frontline workers to participate in a survey, aimed at those working with clients who are experiencing...
  • A map through conflict

    A map through conflict

    A Cyrenians Mediator writes about their innovative Amber Mediation and Support Project, a model of mediation and supp...
  • “A place to call home"

    “A place to call home"

    Hannah Gousy was seconded from Crisis to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) to help design policy recommendations to...
  • A London Nightshelter

    A London Nightshelter

    On 7 November we opened our church-based shelters for the winter with more churches signed on then ever before. Glass...
  • 'Step Up' at The Connection

    'Step Up' at The Connection

    Wyn Newman introduces the volunteer programme 'Step Up' that has been developed at The Connection for service users.