Salisbury charity ALABARÉ joins calls for government to unfreeze housing benefits

Tait ap EllisOctober 14, 20250 Comment0

A LEADING homelessness charity in Salisbury ALABARÉ has joined calls from more than 40 other housing associations to call for the government to unfreeze housing benefits in next month’s budget.

Stats from the Office for National Statistics reveal the cost of private rental is increasing with inflation remaining high.

This has prompted a coalition of bodies and charities to send an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ask for a cap on housing benefits to be increased, to ensure fewer people are pushed to the brink of crisis, and ultimately towards homelessness.

Housing benefits have been largely unchanged since 2016, despite some rises in 2020 and 2024, under the previous government.

Homelessness charity Crisis suggests that only 2.7% of current private rental listings across the UK are affordable to people receiving housing benefits, with around two million households getting the payments.

The organisations that have signed the open letter, including ALABARÉ, are now calling for the government to bring rates of the Local Housing Allowance back up to a level that covers at least the cheapest 30% of rents.

That move could lift 125,000 adults and 75,000 children out of poverty and potentially break the cycle of homelessness before it even starts.

Andrew Lord, chief executive of ALABARÉ, said: “We support measures from the government aimed at reducing the risk of homelessness, such as the pledge to build 1.5 million new homes, investing £39 billion into housing, and announcing £1 billion to tackle rough sleeping.

“However, unfreezing housing benefit could take their commitment one step further and take some of the intense pressure off households who might be having to choose between heating, eating, and paying the rent.

“Services like ALABARÉ’s are there to support those facing a crisis, but we would like to see as much support as possible to make sure fewer people need to turn to us.

“Changes to local housing allowance would also ease the burden on other public services, so people can continue to work and remain happy and healthy, while feeling stable and secure.

“We’re pleased to have come together with other organisations to highlight such an important cause and encourage the government to support some of the most vulnerable when considering their next budget.”