Author: Supported Housing

The Supported Housing (Regulation) Bill

In devising a system of regulation and oversight, we have the opportunity to either create a system that enables supported housing to generate value in a big way or one that is an albatross that starves supported housing of revenue and serves only to support the discredited system of public sector cost control within which the balance between cost and quality has become compromised.

The National Statement of Expectations for Supported Housing

The oversight of supported housing

It has been five years since the 2015 Comprehensive Spending Review suggested changes to the regulation and oversight of supported housing. The National Statement of Expectations for Supported Housing published on 20th October 2020 is an underwhelming development after this five year wait.

Using Commercial & Retail Space for Reconfigured Supported Housing in the “Post Covid” Era

This blog post looks at the post Covid 19 challenges facing organisations and people who are involved in Emergency Access Accommodation such as refuges, hostels and night shelters that are physically incompatible with the requirements of social distancing. It’s also relevant to people and organisations are looking to fund, commission and develop supported in social housing irrespective of whether they have been involved in emergency access accommodation.

If you’re a commissioner, social/institutional capital funder or supported housing provider please read on and get in touch with me if you want to be involved in the development of supported housing, especially but not essentially, in what was previously commercial property such as office or retail space.

Working Together to Develop New Supported Housing

I’m prompted to write about this having recently been in discussion with social investors and property developers who are looking for community housing associations and provider partners to work with in the development of new supported housing.

I’ve also been asked to help connect providers with people who fund and develop property for use of supported housing.

Please get in touch directly with me and I can put you in touch with my wide network of contacts in the provider, housing association, commissioning and investor/developer sectors.

Claiming Enhanced Housing Benefit for Intensive Housing Management

The reason that Enhanced Housing Benefit is payable is because qualifying supported housing providers provide additional and more intensive housing management and maintenance services than would be the case in general needs rented housing. They do so because supported & sheltered housing residents have additional housing needs and supported housing itself has additional maintenance and services costs.

The Oversight of Supported Housing

No one is responsible for the oversight of supported housing. Some might argue that there are plenty of regulators in the supported housing sector: the various national social housing regulators, the Charity Commission in England and Wales, the OSCR in Scotland. To a greater or lesser extent these agencies might regulate supported housing providers, but they don’t oversee supported housing or what it does, and they probably shouldn’t try.

What is “Supported Housing” ? (Part 2): Defining it

Here is an opportunity to offer some definitions for supported housing based on peoples’ needs. Definitions that will support the integration of supported housing into the social care mainstream.

What is “Supported Housing”? (Part 1)

Supported Housing: A Victim of its Own Misdescription As an advocate for supported housing I think it is important to think about what we actually mean when we think of “supported housing”. In my experience it is certainly the case that supported housing has been and remains a victim of its own misdescription. We have… Continue reading What is “Supported Housing”? (Part 1)