Joint Briefing: Autumn Statement 2022 (England)

Joint briefing to England MPs ahead of the Autumn Statement from:

• Crisis

• Shelter

• Chartered Institute of Housing

• National Housing Federation

• Homeless Link

• St Mungo's

• Independent Age

• Generation Rent

• Solace

• Z2K

• DAHA

• Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse

Investment in housing benefit is needed to prevent homelessness

The Autumn Statement is a critical opportunity for the Government to tackle the cost-of-living crisis by ensuring benefits keep up with the real cost of living. This is essential support for people on the lowest incomes.

Hidden in that crisis is the growing gap between housing benefit and the cost of the cheapest private rents, this is an additional, growing cost that low income families are facing on top of rising bills and food costs. New analysis by Crisis and Zoopla shows that that cost has increased by 40% in England in just five months.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government rightly stepped in to help people keep their homes and invested in housing benefit. As people on the lowest incomes once again face significant financial pressure, organisations across Great Britain have called on the Chancellor to invest in housing benefit to prevent thousands from being pushed into homelessness.