(UK) Call for improved housing for autistic adults; "demand exceeding supply"

July 7, 2023, Inside Housing: It is time for great change in the provision for supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/it-is-time-for-great-change-in-the-provision-for-supported-housing-for-people-with-learning-disabilities-and-autistic-people-82212

A new important report from the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network provides key recommendations for supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, writes John Verge...

On 5 July, a new report called Supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people in England – commissioned from Housing LIN by the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network, a coalition of more than 20 housing associations – was published with the aim of providing data, information and insight about supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

The research provides a comprehensive evidence base of the scale, scope, cost and future need of supported housing. The report sets out clear recommendations that the network firmly believes will help address many of these issues.

The research establishes that more than 35,500 people are living in supported housing with commissioned care and support, with an equivalent number of people with commissioned care and support living in mainstream housing, predominantly general needs social housing.

“Our call to government is to support new provision by increasing the level of capital funding and reforming the outdated rent standard that has stifled new public funded provision”

Over 80% of the supported housing provision in this sector is provided by housing associations. The majority of tenants living in supported housing have significant support needs, with over 43% of people receiving over 100 hours a week of care and support.

Over 83% of supported housing tenants require higher levels of ‘specified’ housing benefit and over 58% live in specialised supported housing – which is exempt from the Rent Standard – where there are high levels of care and support and limited or no public capital subsidy.

The report suggests that more than 5,500 new homes have been created over the past five years, with only 13% of the funding provided by public grant subsidy, largely NHS England housing capital funding specifically for helping people move from hospitals.

The evidence reflects our experience at Golden Lane Housing, where we have not been able to utilise Homes England grant funding from either the Affordable Homes Programme or the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund. Our member analysis shows that we require over 75% grant levels to achieve affordable or social rent levels to meet the housing requirements of people with high support needs.

Housing LIN estimate that more than 1,800 additional homes are needed each year over the next 15 years – that’s 27,000 individuals – which will require over £340m [$438M] per year of private and public funding. It is clear that even with increased grant funding, the sector requires significant input from private finance and needs to develop a model that supports new provision with private finance that is sustainable, reasonable and provides good-quality, secure housing for people.

The reality is that demand from individuals, their families and commissioners is exceeding supply and if we are going to respond to this need with quality housing and viable funding, things need to significantly change. Our call to government is to support new provision by increasing the level of capital funding and reforming the outdated Rent Standard that has stifled new public funded provision.

The government needs to be set and publish annual targets for supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Significant parts of the sector continue to be reliant on higher housing benefit levels due to the additional cost of specialist housing and lack of grant funding, and we require the government to maintain the current housing benefit regime….