Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January to Question 123225, on Supported Housing, on what criteria will supported housing services be classified as either short-term or long-term.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Our proposed definition of short-term supported housing is set out in paragraph 53 of the policy statement on Funding Supported Housing, published on 31 October 2017 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-for-supported-housing). It will be for local authorities to decide whether a scheme meets the definition of short-term supported housing, and is therefore eligible to be funded through the local grant fund.
We continue to work with the sector on proposals for long-term supported housing.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what protections he plans to put in place for people who need supported housing once the Government’s local grant fund, as proposed in the consultation document, Funding Support Housing, is exhausted in a specific local authority area.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We will be working closely with local government to ensure this does not happen.
We are clear that in the year of introduction in 2020-21 the level of grant will be equivalent to the spend on short-term supported housing had it remained in the welfare system. We will work closely with local authorities over 2018 and 2019 to determine local grant allocations, and will continue to monitor progress over 2020.
Grant funding after 2020-21 will be set on the basis of current projections of future need, and will continue to take into account the costs of provision. We will also continue to work with local authorities.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how his Department’s plans to assess people's length of stay in supported housing will take account of the fluctuation of mental health conditions and associated challenges.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Supported accommodation provides a lifeline to many vulnerable people including those with mental health conditions and this Government is committed to protecting this vital provision.
We are engaging with the supported accommodation sector on the Government’s new approach to funding housing costs, which comes in from April 2020, and as part of this we will be talking extensively to providers and stakeholders on how provision for people with mental health conditions should work within Government’s proposals for funding short-term and long-term supported accommodation.
I should make clear our proposals do not involve a requirement to assess individuals’ length of stay. The two years mentioned in the proposed definition for short-term support housing refers to the type of supported housing provision, rather than actual stays by individuals. Decisions on the length of an individual’s stay, for example taking into account any fluctuation in their mental health condition, will remain the responsibility of providers and/or care/support workers. There is also certainly no intention that individuals would need to leave or be transferred from an existing placement in short-term supported accommodation solely because the length of their stay had exceeded two years. This is the case across the Government’s proposals for funding the housing costs of all categories of short-term supported accommodation, not just for provision for those with mental health conditions.
I recognise that supported housing for those with a mental health condition can be a complex area of provision, and officials will continue to work closely with this part of sector, for example with service providers such as Rethink Mental illness, to ensure that our decisions on detailed policy design here are as informed as possible.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with officials regarding future payments of housing benefit to women's refuges.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
My predecessor, Marcus Jones MP, held discussions with officials in his own department (Communities and Local Government) and with officials at the Department for Work and Pensions. He also held meetings with providers of refuge accommodation.
Under the short-term supported accommodation model, an individual’s entitlement to Housing Benefit remains unchanged, rather we are removing their liability to pay rent at a vulnerable point in their lives.
We are undertaking a review of how domestic abuse services, are provided across England. The review will cover funding for refuges, including critical care and support costs, and will be completed by summer 2018.
I look forward to continuing this engagement and to working with the sector.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with supported housing providers on future funding for that sector; and when the Government plans to announce the outcome of its review on the funding of that sector.
Answered by Lord Barwell
My Department has had extensive discussions over the last few months with commissioners, providers and representatives of supported housing tenants.
The Government will make an announcement in the autumn setting out its plans for the future funding arrangements for the supported housing sector.
It will also set out our plans for working with the sector and other key stakeholders to ensure the safe transition to the new model.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of supported housing in helping people to make the transition from rough sleeping back to independent living.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to do all we can to prevent homelessness. We announced at Budget an additional £100 million to deliver low cost ‘move on’ accommodation to enable people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery from a homelessness crisis, providing at least 2,000 places for vulnerable people to enable independent living.
The supported housing sector provides valuable support to some of our country’s most vulnerable people. It helps many people to lead independent lives or turn their lives around and is an investment which brings savings to other parts of the public sector – such as health and social care.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of supported housing in helping people who are fleeing domestic abuse.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
We understand the importance of ensuring that those people living in supported accommodation, including refuges, who are generally the most vulnerable members of our society, receive appropriate protections.
Domestic Abuse is a devastating crime and the Government is determined to ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need. The Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy set out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse, committing to a new Statement of Expectations to set out for the first time what we expect from local areas. To support this, we are launching a new two year fund for refuges and other forms of accommodation based support and to help local areas take the steps they need to meet the National Statement.
We have commissioned an evidence review of the supported housing sector which we expect to report shortly.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support economic growth in coastal communities.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
On 26 January, the Government announced £46 million of funding to 67 projects around England and Scotland’s coast. All of these will make a big contribution to supporting growth and jobs in these areas. In total, the Coastal Communities Fund is now supporting 211 projects across the UK with a value of £116 million and is forecast to support nearly 12,400 new jobs, and provide over 6,000 apprenticeships and training places.
In addition to the Coastal Communities Fund, many other Government programmes also support growth in coastal areas. For example, over £500 million was committed through Growth Deals in July 2014 for projects to improve the economic competitiveness of coastal areas, and a number of successful Enterprise Zones are encouraging investment in coastal locations.
The Government remains committed to supporting growth in all areas of the country, including coastal communities.