1. HOUSING BROKERAGE in ESSEX Sanna Westwood – Commissioning Manager Essex County Council Susannah.westwood@essex.gov.uk

2. 2 Housing Brokerage NDTi- Inclusion & Housing Project Housing Brokerage Story so far Important Things

3. 3 NDTi Inclusion & Housing Project Registered Care to Supported Living Inclusion Training Accessing suitable accommodation

4. Why Housing brokerage? Perceived lack of housing options Access to range of housing options Understanding the types of housing available Supporting choice and control Defined activity complementing social work practice Increase numbers of people able to live independently 4

5. 5 Setting up a Housing Brokerage Service Funding Partners Defining the Service Recruitment Referrals

6. 6 The Housing Broker Role In the beginning…. Now….

7. 7 Story so far 35 referrals - 10 housed Positive feedback Evaluation Costs/ Benefits

8. 8 The Important Things Housing & Benefits knowledge Communication skills Relationships –LAs –RPs –Families –Individuals –Estate agents –Private landlords Partnerships Tools and Literature Operational support

9. 9 And next …. Extend to March 2013 Set up Housing Brokerage for PI Evaluation published Commissioning decisions Should this service continue? If the answer is yes we need to understand and quantify the outcomes and identify who should deliver the service?