As the CEO of Stoll, the leading provider of supported housing to vulnerable veterans, I know first-hand how vital supported housing remains to helping veterans lead independent lives. The Starts at Home campaign is an important reminder of that and celebrates the impact supported housing has to make life-changing differences for a variety of people.
Starts at Home is a great campaign that highlights the importance of enabling people to live as independently as possible in their own home - helping with their overall wellbeing.
Whether they are older people living with the support they need to stay healthy and out of hospital, whether they are people with learning difficulties or with mental health needs supportive housing helps people to live their lives to the full.
Investing in supportive housing not only improves peoples quality of life but saves money in the longer term by helping to prevent hospital admissions, and potentially demands on social care. It really is a win win for all - which is why I am delighted to support this campaign.
After visiting Metropolitan’s housing scheme supporting people with mental health issues, it is clear to me the vital role these housing services play in helping people to live independently and with dignity. Many of the people using these services suffer from depression, addiction and personality disorders – and would not receive the help they need in mainstream housing.
Uncertainty over the future funding of supported housing threatens the viability of these important mental health services. The Government must give clarity as soon as possible on the funding of the sector.
Having seen the supported housing provision which North Star housing association delivers in my Stockton North constituency, it is absolutely non-negotiable that the Government announces its review looking at the funding of the sector as soon as possible, and remove the threat of the Local Housing Allowance cap once and for all. Making sure everyone has a home which allows them to live an independent life is important to me. I want to see this continue and supported housing providers continue to deliver for the most vulnerable in society.
Supported housing is a crucial but sometimes forgotten piece of the housing jigsaw. Housing such as extra care helps older people to live independently for longer, and tackles both the challenges in housing supply and in health and social care funding that this country is facing. ARCO represent operators of both not-for-profit ‘extra care’ schemes and private retirement communities for older people. We believe that all people should have access to a supportive and enabling living environment as they age, and that reducing access to these is a false economy. We firmly back the Starts At Home campaign and its call for a secure future funding stream for this essential form of housing.
I recently visited CHS Group’s new extra care scheme in my constituency and was incredibly impressed. They are holistically tackling some of the things that keep me awake at night – quality and dignified housing for the elderly, loneliness and mental health. The range of services they offer is tremendous. The Government must urgently give clarity to the sector on funding arrangements.
I have seen in my Waveney constituency the positive impact that Supported Housing can have with housing associations and charities running innovative schemes which are making real differences to many people. Orwell Housing are providing housing for both the young and the elderly, Saffron Housing are supporting those with severe learning and physical disabilities, Stonham are helping those with addictions get back on their own two feet and Access Community Trust are providing for the needs of the homeless.
The Starts at Home campaign shines a light on these silent heroes who, on a daily basis, work tirelessly to secure a better future for vulnerable people and save the taxpayer money in the process. I hope we can provide long-term and sustainable funding for these services going forward so they can continue to help those in need of support to regain their independence.
As both a shadow housing and planning minister and a local MP, I have seen first-hand how supported housing schemes transform lives, by helping people to maintain their independence and sustain a tenancy that meets their needs.
I am proud to support the Starts at Home campaign which shows exactly why the funding for supported housing needs to be put on a sustainable footing for the long-term.
I am so pleased, as Chair of the National Housing Federation, to support the Starts at Home campaign which highlights the importance of this housing for vulnerable people, and the pressing need for a long-term and sustainable funding for them. Supported housing helps hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. Yet supported housing isn’t on a stable footing. The Government is currently reviewing how supported housing is funded and we need to ensure everyone gets the support the need.
Starts at Home is an important initiative: it reminds us all that a decent home is the first essential for people who need society’s support to live independent and fulfilling lives. And to make this a reality, Government now has the opportunity to place the funding of supported housing on a sound and stable footing.
