Five Principles Of Supported Housing
Homeless Link is calling on the Government to use its five principles to assess the suitability of any future funding proposals for supported housing services.
According to a report on the 24 Housing website, Homeless Link estimates some 650,000 people live in supporting housing, at a cost of around £4billion per year in Housing Benefit. Support costs, however, are usually funded through the local authority and other sources.
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, said: “We are currently at a point of unprecedented importance for supported housing. It is no exaggeration to say that decisions taken over the next few months and years will be crucial in shaping the provision of accommodation and support for some of society’s most vulnerable people for decades to come.”
“That is why, in consultation with our members, we have produced this statement of the five principles by which we think any proposed system should be judged. We believe these principles will ensure that an effective, dynamic and sustainable supported housing sector is there for everyone who needs it in the future and call on Government to factor them in to their plans.”
The principles are:
- Provide adequate funding on a sustainable basis so that supported housing is available to everyone who needs it.
- Respond flexibly to the diversity and complexity of people’s individual needs and aspirations.
- Encourage the sector to use its expertise to implement good practice, innovate and develop to meet future demand.
- Support the commissioning of high-quality supported housing schemes that meet the current and future needs of local communities.
- Develop in partnership with supported housing schemes and their residents.
The most comprehensive evaluation of Supporting People – the funding stream for supported housing introduced in 2003 – found that a £1.6 billion investment generated net savings of £3.4 billion to the public purse. This includes avoiding £315.2 million in health costs, £413.6 million costs of crime and criminal justice, and £96 million costs of homelessness.
But when the ring-fence for Supporting People was removed in 2009 it has become difficult to track spending on support. Costs are higher than in other forms of social housing, because of maintaining communal spaces, higher levels of wear and tear, or the need to have enhanced security measures in certain properties. This is currently met through an enhanced rate of Housing Benefit paid to people who live in supported housing.
The National Audit Office estimates that funding for housing-related support has halved between 2010/11 and 2014/15, with reports of local authorities making further substantial cuts to housing-related support budgets. This, according to Homeless Link, has led to supported housing losing a significant amount of investment and access to these services is increasingly limited, with a current shortfall of 16,692 places.
