Nearly 2,700 Sandwell tenants have received additional housing payments worth more than £1.5 million to help them sustain their tenancy through difficult times.
Sandwell Council is sixth out of 315 Local Authorities for the amount of discretionary housing payments (DHPs) paid when compared to how much government funding they have received.
The council’s Revenues and Benefits Service administers the scheme, working with the Department for Work and Pensions, landlords, housing and welfare rights officers.
The payments help tenants who need extra financial support to pay the shortfall between their benefit entitlements and their rent bill.
These shortfalls can happen due to the size criteria for housing-related benefits. They can also be caused by the benefit cap or due to the person not qualifying for 100% benefits for housing.
Payments can also be awarded to help with rent deposits or removal costs.
For 2019/20, Sandwell helped 2,679 tenants through discretionary housing payments and paid out a total of £1,559,973.
The Government allocated £1,092,488 towards the 2019/20 payments, with Sandwell Council funding the additional £467,485.
Councillor Wasim Ali, cabinet member for resources and core services, said: “Our Revenues and Benefits team works closely with housing colleagues, landlords and our welfare rights service. They identify tenants who may be eligible for discretionary housing payments due to rent arrears or moving home.
“Being sixth in this national table shows the strength of our proactive approach in identifying residents who need this crucial support to make sure they can continue with their tenancy. The majority of council’s only award DHPs up to the amount of government funding”.
Deputy Council Leader Councillor Maria Crompton said: “This shows Sandwell’s commitment to supporting our most vulnerable residents.
“For people who are struggling to pay their rent, these payments can be the difference between keeping their home or losing it, so I would like to thank everyone involved in making sure tenants who need this support receive it.”
A table published by the Department for Work and Pensions shows Sandwell is the sixth best performing council nationally for making these payments. The council spent 143% of the Government’s allocation to Sandwell (spending 100% of the funding provided by the Government, plus an additional 43% funded by Sandwell Council).
