Parents could be in line for extra cash
SUFFOLK: Families with children are being urged to re-check their benefit entitlements - and may get more help towards paying their rent.
SUFFOLK: Families with children are being urged to re-check their benefit entitlements - and may get more help towards paying their rent.
Felixstowe Citizens' Advice Bureau manager Barbara Rose said new changes to benefit rules could mean people not previously eligible for support will now be able to claim.
It had been calculated that a single parent with two children, who previously just missed out on getting any help towards paying the rent, could now be entitled to housing benefit of up to �21.58 a week.
The changes - which mean income from child benefit will no longer be taken into account when calculating entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit - also mean some parents already receiving housing benefit will automatically see the amount they are entitled to go up, and more will also become eligible for help in paying their council tax.
The extra money will be available to help all tenants with children, whether they live in council housing, housing association property, or private rented accommodation.
“We are seeing more and more families struggling to make ends meet and finding it increasingly hard to afford to pay their essential household bills, including their rent,” said Mrs Rose.
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“Our calculations show that this change in the rules could make a huge difference to them.
“We would urge all parents in rented accommodation who are not at present getting any housing benefit to contact us or the council's housing benefit department as soon as possible to find out if they qualify for this much-needed extra help.”
Is government giving enough help to poorer families? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
