We call on the Government Department to stop classifying disability-related benefits as disposable income when assessing applications for social housing.

Recent policy changes mean that disability-related benefits — such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and other similar supports — are now being treated as disposable income when determining affordability for social housing. As a result, many disabled individuals and families who were previously eligible for social housing have been unfairly removed from housing lists or denied assistance.

Why This Matters:
Disability benefits are not disposable income. They are specifically intended to help cover the additional costs of living with a disability — such as mobility aids, personal care, medical equipment, accessible transport, and other essential support needs.

These benefits do not increase a person’s ability to pay rent or meet general living expenses. In fact, many disabled individuals already face higher daily costs that often exceed the amount of disability benefit they receive.

Treating these essential supports as income for housing assessments is both unjust and discriminatory. It fails to recognise the true purpose of disability benefits and places disabled residents at even greater risk of housing insecurity and hardship.

Our Demand:
We urge the Government Department to:

1. Exclude disability-related benefits (such as PIP and DLA) from calculations of disposable or assessable income when determining housing affordability.

2. Review all recent housing eligibility decisions that were affected by this policy.

3. Work with disability advocacy groups to develop fair and inclusive housing assessment criteria that reflect the real financial circumstances of disabled residents.

Together, we can ensure that disabled people are treated with fairness, dignity, and equality in housing policy.