‘Unscrupulous landlords’ who exploit vulnerable tenants will be driven out of the supported housing market, said the Government last week when launching a new improvement package for the sector.
Many people in supported housing receive good quality, tailored support, it admitted. ‘But there are instances of supported housing landlords providing unacceptable levels of support while charging extortionate rents’, it claimed.
This will be stamped out, it promised.
Minimum standards for support for residents, new powers for local authorities, and changes to Housing Benefit regulations are promised. A guide to good practice for local authority interventions in the sector has been published and local councils have been invited to apply for funding to help them drive up the quality of supported housing in their areas.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said it particularly wants to hear from authorities that are experiencing significant impacts arising from poor-quality supported housing provision in their areas.
The funding will come from a £20m three-year Supported Housing Improvement Programme. The deadline for submissions is Friday 2 September 2022.
Supported housing provides vulnerable people with accommodation alongside care, support, or supervision. They may have experienced homelessness, mental health issues or domestic abuse, and schemes should provide them with the skills and confidence to enter longer-term independent accommodation.
‘We want vulnerable residents living in supported housing to have safe, appropriate accommodation, which meets their needs and can help them move onto more independent living’, said Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Eddie Hughes.
‘I’m pleased to open our Supported Housing Improvement Programme for bids today. This will build on the momentum from our successful pilots, helping councils in the worst-affected areas to tackle bad quality and poor value for money in supported housing, while preserving good provision by responsible providers’.
The move follows assessment of a pilot study concluded in September 2021. Local authorities in Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Hull and Bristol were provided with finance to test interventions aimed at raising standards of accommodation and support in the sector and improving local authority oversight. An assessment published in April declared the pilots a success with authorities driving up the quality of accommodation and support to residents. ‘They also improved value for money through enhanced scrutiny of Housing Benefit claims’.
