Low-income households at risk as mortgage support benefit is axed

Crucial welfare payment will be turned into a loan from 2018, affecting 124,000 individuals who rely on itThousands of hard-up older people are being given a stark choice: sign up to a “second mortgage” with the government, or lose some of the financial help you receive.In a little-noticed move, the government is axing a benefit that has been around since 1948 and has thrown a lifeline to many people on low incomes. “Support for mortgage interest” (SMI) helps financially