New report warns reforms to supported housing could destabilise services and increase homelessness without proper funding.
The research, published by homelessness charity Emmaus UK, looks at the government’s Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The legislation aims to improve standards and remove poor-quality providers.
But the report warns that the way the rules are implemented will be key. It states some services are already under financial pressure and could struggle to meet new requirements.
The Act introduces national standards and a new licensing scheme for supported housing. However, the report outlines providers may have to spend more on paperwork and compliance, leaving less money to support residents.
It highlights one in three providers reported closing schemes in the past year due to funding problems.
Residents and staff interviewed for the research stressed that quality provision depends in more than just safety checks. They highlighted three missing elements from the draft standards: meaningful activity, a sense of community and stable homes.
One Emmaus resident quoted in the report said: ‘In other shelters I’ve been to, they’re just shelters… The thing that makes this community really good, mentally, is the work side of things.’
Another warned that rigid two-year limits on stays leave people fighting against the system: ‘What if you’re not sorted by then?’
The report also raises concern about what happens if housing schemes lose their licence. It says residents could be forced to move and some may not be able to access other homelessness support.
Against this backdrop, Emmaus UK is calling on the government to provide transition funding for providers and remove local authorities’ power to set inconsistent licence fees and conditions.
The report concludes: ‘The implementation of the Act offers an opportunity to ensure that reform strengthens supported housing in practice – delivering safety, stability and long-term opportunity for the people who rely on it.’
Speaking to rayo, Paula Barker MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending Homelessness, said: ‘One of the virtues of the report is the chance it gives to tenants to stress that supported housing is about more than just shelter.
‘I strongly agree with the call by Emmaus for Government guidance to clarify that support should mean purposeful activities like training, education and work experience, as well as being part of a community.’
The full report can be read here.
Image: Jerome/UnSplash
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