 Half of those affected by the benefit cap between 2013 and 2016 lived in London where rents are 61% higher than the national average.Research by the housing charity Shelter in 2015 indicated that the reduction of the benefit cap in 2016 could affect at least 100,000 households, primarily in Southern England, and the charity expressed concerns that those affected might be subjected to homelessness and poverty.In 2017 the UK Council for Psychotherapy said that benefit cuts and sanctions were "having a toxic impact on mental health".