1. Supported Housing consultation
January 2017 – SHiP conference

2. Task and Finish Groups What are they looking at?
The Government is establishing a set of task and finish groups to support the development of the new model, focusing on four key areas:
Fair access to funding (Homeless Link attends)
Local roles and responsibilities, including ensuring value for money, quality and appropriate oversight (NHF attends)
Ensuring new supply of supported housing (NHF attends)
Short term accommodation (NHF and Homeless Link attends)
“(they will) Include membership from key stakeholders and partners from across the sector and from across Government departments and the devolved administrations where appropriate”
Let’s end homelessness together

3. Emerging themes from members
Short-term accommodation
The task and finish group on short-term accommodation has drafted a working definition for short-term accommodation that focuses more on the purpose and function:
Transitional accommodation and support to meet people’s needs and achieve outcomes that enable appropriate and timely move on
There are suggestions this could cover services anything up to two years
Concerns among our members about timeframe for ‘short-term’: what that means for services sitting within or outside of the benefits system and the risks and opportunities of that.
Let’s end homelessness together

4. Emerging themes from members
Short-term accommodation
If short-term accommodation system = local system, does that offer more or less security than benefits system
Can schemes be designated as short-term, and therefore require a different system, or should this just be about covering an initial period in services because of Universal Credit delays – what happens if someone leaves a ‘long-term’ service within a month?
Importance of benefit entitlement for an individual – paying rent, managing tenancy, work incentives etc.
Need for a national framework for commissioning services to ensure some level of local consistency
Let’s end homelessness together

5. Emerging themes from members
Fair access to local funding
Concerns about both overall sizing of pot and allocations for local areas – need clarity over methodology and how pot will reflect need (including plans for growth)
Also concerns about robustness and longevity of ring-fence, particularly in light of previous ring-fenced pots, such as Supporting People
Statutory duties: should these be introduced to protect specific groups or could there be statutory duties at a population level i.e. to plan or develop a strategy? Could this be linked to receipt of the pot?
What in existing or imminent legislation, such as the Care Act or Homelessness Reduction Bill, might strengthen people’s access to support? What more needs to be done?
Let’s end homelessness together

6. Principles for a new model
Provide sustainable funding for supported housing
Support new developments and innovation, and foster good practice
Ensure that supported housing and related services are diverse and reflect multiple and complex needs 
Enable supported housing to join up effectively with other key care and support bodies through integrated, positively commissioned services
Solutions are developed and introduced in partnership with supported housing providers
Let’s end homelessness together

7. Getting Involved Your Evidence is Crucial
Work and Pensions Select Committee call for evidence: closes 3rd February
Official consultation closes 13th February
You can input into Homeless Link’s submission – please any key points to:
We are also looking for case studies that demonstrate the value of supported housing – if you are interested, please the address above by 31st January
Let’s end homelessness together