Blog by Rosie Mclellan, Communications Officer at the National Housing Federation
Starts at Home Day is back in 2023 for its seventh year on 1 September. Happening just before a critical party conference season, in the run-up to the next general election, this year’s Starts at Home will be a chance for us to tell all political parties how they can deliver for supported housing and its residents.
As ever, Starts at Home is a day of celebration, to shine a light on all the brilliant work housing associations do to provide crucial care and support to residents, help people to live independent and happy lives and to build thriving communities. It’s our day to shout about the brilliant staff who go above and beyond, the positive impact safe and secure housing has on residents’ lives, the lives of their families, and the communities who are thriving as a result.
But Starts at Home Day is also our day to call for a better future for supported housing. In the run up to the next general election, Starts at Home Day 2023 is a chance for us to agree what supported housing needs from the next government.
What are we calling for?
We need a long-term plan for housing. A decent, affordable home should be a right for us all, wherever we live across the country. It is the foundation of our health, happiness and prosperity.
For example, recent research shows that were it not for supported housing, 41,000 more people would be homeless, with a further 30,000 people at risk of homelessness. The Department for Health and Social Care’s White Paper also predicts that demand for supported homes in England will increase by 125,000 by 2030.
Our need and impact as a sector is clear: supported housing is essential to society, saves the taxpayer money and needs more investment. Despite this, we have seen a shortfall in investment in supported housing, and a lack of a long-term plan for housing. We’re asking the next government to implement a series of policy changes to safeguard the future of supported housing.
This year, we’re focusing on two policy asks, a commitment to long-term funding and to make every decision about care, a decision about housing.
Key campaign asks
This Starts at Home Day, we’re calling for a commitment to long-term funding for supported housing. We need the government to:
- Ring-fence and increase long-term funding revenue for housing-related support, and ensure it matches, or exceeds, the £1.6bn per year allocated to English authorities in 2010.
- Reinstate the £300m Housing Transformation Fund, to ensure that social care and supported housing are integrated.
- Commit investment in social housing to make sure residents who move on from supported housing have a safe, affordable place to live.
We’re also calling for every decision about care to be a decision about housing:
- Ensure funding for effective partnership working between supported housing, the NHS and social care.
- Ensure the Social Care White Paper’s call to ‘make every decision about care a decision about housing’ becomes a reality.
How you can get involved with the campaign
You can support Starts at Home Day 2023 in a number of different ways. We need you to engage with MPs and Councillors to ensure they truly understand the value of supported housing going into the next general election.
Inviting a local politician to see the work you do to support your tenants is one of the most impactful actions you can do to promote the vital work of supported housing. We’ve put together a guide to inviting a local politician for a visit.
You can also get involved on the day on social media, by sharing the work you do using the hashtag #StartsAtHome. We encourage you to take photos, write a blog or even make a video. Read our top tips for writing a blog, and producing a video.