Following a pilot across the county to review a small part of the supported housing sector, primarily in temporary, exempt accommodation, We were successful in applying for funding to carry out a review in the city. The funding has been provided by The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through its Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
The funding has enabled us to establish a Supported Accommodation Review Team (SART). The team has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach with members of teams from Housing Benefit, Adult Social Care, Safeguarding, Commissioning and Safe Communities to increase the oversight of supported accommodation providers in the city. The team’s aim is to:
- Improve the quality of support given
- Improve the quality of accommodation
- Reduce levels of anti-social behaviour (ASB)
- Reduce community complaints
- Improve the safety within the properties and wider community
- Improve the oversight of supported housing
- Improve value for money
Supported housing providers
Supported Housing is provided by various organisations. These organisations are:
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Charities
- Registered Providers
- Registered Care Providers
- Young People Services
Some of the organisations are regulated by:
- Regulator of Social Housing
- Ofsted
- Care Quality Commission
- Charity Commission
We have developed a Single Access Gateway for new providers wishing to enter the city and for existing providers wishing to expand their provision. The Single Access Gateway is a verification check carried out by us. It assesses the eligibility of landlords or housing providers seeking approval for the provision of housing benefits (HB). These measures are essential to ensure that the housing provided adheres to established standards and that the landlord is a qualified provider. These checks are carried out to assess the appropriateness and viability of the landlord or provider. Checks include but are not limited to:
- Provider Verification
- Ownership verification
- Rent and eligible service charges
- Property
- Safeguarding
- Governance and due diligence
You may need a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) license.
Establish provision within the city
If you are looking to establish provision within the city and are not currently working with us complete our online form.
Taking on or handing a property back
Let us know if you taking on another property or handing a property back by completing our online forms.
Contact us
If you need to contact us or let us know a resident has moved on email [email protected].
Supported accommodation
Supported housing refers to properties in which the customer receives care, support or supervision for the purpose of enabling them to live or adjust to living independently within the community.
Supported housing
To be classified as ‘Supported Housing’:
- The landlord must be a voluntary organisation, a Registered Charity, Community Interest Company (CIC) or Registered Provider (Housing Association).
- The landlord must have a legal interest in the property concerned (ownership or lease).
- The customers must need ‘care, support or supervision.’
- The ‘support’ to meet these needs must be provided by the landlord or on its behalf.
Managed property
To be classified as a ‘Managed Property’:
- The landlord must be a voluntary organisation, a registered charity or registered provider (Housing Association).
- The landlord must have a legal interest in the property concerned (ownership or lease).
- The customer must need ‘care, support or supervision.’
- A third party provides the ‘care, support or supervision.’
Domestic abuse refuge
To be classified as a Domestic Abuse Refuge the landlord can be the same as Support housing and Managed property but can also be the local authority.
Hostel
To be classified as a Hostel type accommodation:
- Hostel must be shared accommodation and not self-contained
- Care, support or supervision must be provided (not necessarily by the landlord).