Universal Credit: Homelessness

(asked on 27th February 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to help homeless applicants make a claim for universal credit.


Answered by
Justin Tomlinson Portrait
Justin Tomlinson
This question was answered on 4th March 2019

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Universal Credit has been designed with accessibility in mind and we are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants. Where a homeless claimant requires assistance to complete the initial application process support is available face to face in the Jobcentre. Service delivery teams within jobcentres provide a professional and supportive environment for our customers, providing digital coaching and helping claimants set up and maintain their Universal Credit claims.

If a claimant needs more intensive or specific support to make their claim, face-to-face and other help is available through our current Universal Support Assisted Digital Service offer, which provides bespoke help, support and skills for claimants to make and maintain their digital account online. Since 2017, Universal Support has been delivered by local authorities, funded by grants from DWP.

From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will deliver a new “Help to Claim” service to support vulnerable claimants through the process of making a claim to Universal Credit.

Jobcentres in England refer claimants considered to be homeless or at risk of homelessness, to the local authority to receive further housing support. The referral is voluntary and there is no impact on the claimants Universal Credit award if they do not consent to the referral being made.

Additional safeguards in place and support available to assist homeless people in making a claim for Universal Credit include:

  • If a person doesn’t have a fixed address, they can register their hostel or temporary accommodation as their address, and if they are sleeping rough they can use the address of their local jobcentre.
  • A work coach can use other methods to identify a person where someone does not have ID, including the use of biographical questions and third party biographical verification.
  • Measures are in place to make payments through other methods where someone doesn’t have a bank account, including post office card accounts or the Payment Exception Service. Work coaches can also help people through the process of setting up a bank account where appropriate.
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