Afternoon all,

The client is care leaver in a young persons accomodation and has some amount of learning difficulties, also receives a certain amount of social service help. The client was on I/S which stopped, there is then a 3 week gap to JSA which has been placed into payment. Social Services have advised that they will pay the income for the 3 week gap period but not the rent as prior to this the tnt was on HB and HB should pay the gap period. HB will inevitably stop due to I/S ending and create a HBOP. HB will then obviously pay from when JSA has been placed back into payment.

Should social services be paying the rent for the gap period as they are providing the income like most care leavers?

Will the HB department see that social services provided the income for the gap period and state state that they social should pay the rent not them, i.e. ending up with both departments blaiming each other?

Therego, anybody got any ideas on who should pay and what we need to do get either side to pay the break?

I am assuming here that as HB has been in payment the HB section have not previously decided that the claimant is not eligiable as Social services should be paying for Housing Costs.

As long as this is the case there should be no problems. HB does not inevitably stop when I/S ends and has not done since 2004. Your client just needs to inform the LA (and provide evidence in the form of a letter from Social Services) as to what their income was for the 3 week gap.

cheers jmembery,

we have managed to get social services to provide a letter to the effect of proof of income so hopefully HB should be continuous during the gap.

regards,

brad.