Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the planning and funding of supported housing models are fully integrated across the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The government recognises that supported housing is an important part of the delivery of social homes for people with care and support needs, including for older people and disabled working-age adults with personal care needs. My Department and the Department for Heath and Social Care coordinate closely on supported housing.

At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. We want to see new supply of supported housing in England through the new programme, in greater numbers and also across a diverse range of cohorts and housing types. This includes older people’s housing, specialist housing for those with complex needs, such as long-term housing for people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health issues, and transitional housing for those experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping and homelessness or from domestic abuse. Many of the Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities have also indicated supported housing amongst their local priorities in relation to the programme.

We know that supported housing can often cost more to deliver. In the new programme, while we will maintain the principle that all bids will be assessed for value for money based on their particular circumstances, flexibility on grant rates has been built in for accommodation where the level of design and adaptation results in higher costs. We would encourage providers to come forward with ambitious bids.

The commissioning of local housing-related support services is for local authorities to determine. Local authorities are best placed to plan and decide on local spending priorities that meet the needs of their local population. Through the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act, local authorities will be required to produce supported housing strategies to assess current and future need for supported housing in their area. The strategies will assist local authorities and housing providers with long-term planning and delivery to meet demand.