THE Housing Rights organisation is seeking urgent meetings to try to avert the introduction of the so-called bedroom tax on over 30,000 households in the North.
The tax will hit scores of homes in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
As part of the Fresh Start deal the NI Executive agreed to fund a policy that meant it would not apply to tenants in Northern Ireland.
However, the legislation that would allow the policy to take effect has not yet been passed by Stormont.
The tax is expected to cost those affected an average of £20 a week.
Speaking on BBC’s Nolan Show, Communities Minister Paul Givan said he has spoken to officials in his department about emergency options to mitigate bedroom tax but there are no options available “initially”.
“I am 99% certain that the only option to deal with mitigating the bedroom tax is to have the regulation in place,” he said.
He was also asked if the DUP takes any responsibility for bedroom tax now being brought in, to which he responded: “No, we’re not the ones who brought the executive down.”
Kate McCauley, of Housing Rights, said: “We are concerned that if the current political uncertainty continues it could have unintended consequences for people living in social housing who stand to be impacted by the bedroom tax.
“If the regulations to make arrangements for supplementary payments are not brought forward, an alternative solution must be found.”
She added: “The cumulative impact on someone could be £100 a month – on 35,000 people that could be huge.
“So it’s the impact primarily on people and our work is about preventing homelessness.
“So for us our real concern is that it could have a real knock on effect on housing associations and on the Housing Executive and how they manage their arrears policy, how social landlords are supposed to manage that, because that’s a massive loss that they’ll be facing.”
A Department for Communities spokesperson said: “The Social Sector Size Criteria is due to be introduced in Northern Ireland on 20 February 2017.
“The Department for Communities has been preparing systems and processes which would ensure that no housing benefit claimant in Northern Ireland would suffer any negative financial impact.
“Mitigation payments are already in place for claimants impacted by changes to employment and support allowance, benefit cap and the introduction of personal independence payment.
“These payments will not be affected.”
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