Specialist and Supported Housing Strategy 2023 to 2033

This specialist and supported housing strategy is influenced and informed by a range of local and national policies, summarised below.

National context

There are a number of national policy factors affecting the supported housing sector and which will influence the delivery of this strategy.

In October 2020 the Government published the Supported housing: national statement of expectations. This set out the expectations of local authorities and of providers of supported housing in relation to, for example, understanding the need for supported housing and ensuring that supported housing is of a good quality, both in terms of the accommodation and the service. This was for guidance only. However, since this was published, the Government has set out its intention to legislate to deliver improvements in supported housing.

More recently the Government has established the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) and made available funding to a number of councils to deliver this programme locally. The programme is intended to support councils to improve the quality of supported housing, both the accommodation and support services, through greater local scrutiny. Gateshead Council is participating in the Supported Housing Improvement Programme. Aligned with this work, the council is establishing a gateway for access to all housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness and a 'marketplace' for commissioning and procuring supported housing services.

The Government is currently supporting a private members' bill, Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill. The bill makes provision about the regulation of supported exempt accommodation, and makes provision about local authority oversight of, and enforcement powers relating to, the provision of supported exempt accommodation. Once this bill becomes law it is expected that the council will have new statutory powers and duties to regulate supported housing locally.

Over recent years long lease-based models of supported housing have come under scrutiny by the Regulator of Social Housing, particularly the governance and financial arrangements of some Registered Providers that lease all or most of their supported housing stock from other organisations. The council will take account of the regulatory status of providers of supported housing in its approach to managing the quality of supported housing services (section 5).

The Adult Social Care Reform White Paper includes a focus on housing, new models of care, digital and technology. A series of measures have been announced that specifically target the housing, housing with care, and technology markets with the aim of helping all people with care and support needs to live well, safely and independently. The council will work with providers of supported accommodation to ensure that preventative approaches, such as the more extensive use of technology enabled care, are used to support older people and other people with support needs to live independently, both in supported housing and in general-needs housing.

The Domestic Abuse Act (2021) places a duty on local authorities to provide support in safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims/survivors. Safe accommodation is: refuge accommodation; specialist safe accommodation; dispersed accommodation; Sanctuary schemes (Safe at Home); move-on accommodation; other forms of domestic abuse emergency accommodation. The associated statutory guidance recognises that alternative housing options, whether refuges, social housing, or private accommodation, are key to ensuring victims and survivors are able to escape domestic abuse, and factor strongly in a victim's or survivor's decision-making about whether they stay or leave a perpetrator.

Government policy on Housing for older and disabled people guides councils in preparing planning policies on housing for older and disabled people. This policy is reflected in the council's Specialist and Supported Housing Supplementary Planning Document and further reinforced through this strategy.

Local context

This strategy is both informed by and supports the delivery of a range of other local policies set out below.

• Thrive: The council has an overall strategic vision to 'make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives'. This strategy is intended to assist older people, disabled people and people with care/ support needs to thrive and to live independently
• Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Give every child the best start in life; enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives; create fair employment and good work for all; ensure a healthy standard of living for all; create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities; strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention. This strategy is intended to deliver good quality specialist and accessible homes for local people as part of improving health and wellbeing
• Market Position Statement: This strategy will support delivery of the market position statement through, for example, provision of additional extra care housing and supported living services, that provide early intervention and preventative services that, for example, reduce the use of care homes
• Integrated Adults and Social Care Services - Living Thriving Lives Plan: This five-year plan sets out the vision and ambitions for adult social care to enable residents to live thriving lives, be independent and have access to personalised quality support when they need it. It focused on eight key areas: information and advice, enablement, home first principle, caregivers, technology, workforce, strengths based practice and commissioning. There is an associated delivery plan
• Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. This strategy sets out the commissioning intentions for a range of supported housing services that support delivery of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, including preventative support services
• Housing Strategy. This strategy will help to deliver a range of supported and specialist housing consistent with increasing the local housing supply
• Planning Policy. This strategy summarises the evidence base of need for specialist, supported and accessible homes, and it complements the council's Specialist and Supported Housing Supplementary Planning Document, which sets out how the council encourages, and where possible requires, development of accessible and specialist homes
• Safe Accommodation Strategy. This strategy sets out how Gateshead Council will meet the duty to provide support in safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims and survivors
• Placement Sufficiency and Commissioning Strategy for Children in Care in Gateshead. This strategy sets out the commissioning intentions for a range of supported housing services for young people in the context of the corporate parenting responsibilities of the council towards young people in care/care experienced. Gateshead's Corporate Parenting Pledge sets out Gateshead's commitment and responsibilities as a corporate parent, which is to provide the best possible care and protection for children and young people in care, in terms of the council's responsibilities as part of the Children Act
• Youth Strategy. This is in development. It will include the roles of supported accommodation for young people with support needs
• the council is part of the Government's Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP)