FOI request (FOIR-524084796)

Discretionary Housing Payments and homelessness support

Requested Thu 15 June 2023
Responded Tue 11 July 2023

I am requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act. This request contains 23 questions overall, concerning Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) and homelessness support.

I am requesting the following information regarding DHPs:

1. How many applications for DHPs did the council receive in 2022/23?

2. How many of the applications in question 1 did the council approve? That is, the council decided to award DHP in response to the application, either in full or in part.

3. How many of the applications in question 1 did the council refuse? That is, the council decided not to award any DHP in response to the application.

4. Please provide any data the council holds on reasons for DHPs being refused in 2022/23.

5. What was the average amount of DHP awarded in response to successful DHP applications in 2022/23? This is the amount awarded for each application, not each household. That is, three successive awards to one household count as three separate awards. Successful applications are those that were awarded any money.

Please note that these questions treat each application for DHPs separately, regardless of whether more than one such application was made by the same household in a financial year, or whether they were made to renew previous awards.

For example, if in 2022/23 one household applied for DHP and was awarded it in full for a fixed period, then applied again and was awarded 50 percent of the requested amount, and then applied a third time and was refused with no money awarded, then in relation to this household:

• the question 1 figure is three (three separate applications).

• the question 2 figure is two (two applications were awarded in full or in part).

• the question 3 figure is one (one application refused with no award)

I wish to emphasise that if a council did not award any money to a DHP applicant but signposted the applicant elsewhere or provided support outside DHPs, this counts as a 'refusal' for the purposes of this request.

Response

1. 750

2. 659

3. 91

4. Information not held.

5. £355.17