A lack of regulation in the supported housing sector has led to vulnerable people with care needs living in substandard accommodation, according to MPs and charities. The Supported Housing Act, which was passed in June 2018, aimed to lay down standards in the sector. The advisory panel for supported housing, which was required by the act to be set up by June 2019, has yet to be established. The legislation allows the Department for Housing and local councils to set standards for providers. Private firms have entered the sector in the past decade. Many landlords have been accused of exploiting the lack of regulation to provide low-quality accommodation, which they profit from.
Councils are responsible for deciding whether a person with a care need qualifies for supported housing and pays the rent on their accommodation. Conditions in the sector have been described as “beyond disgraceful”. Homeless people, those who have experienced abuse or addiction and those with physical or mental health issues can all benefit from supported housing. Campaigners have called for enforcement of minimum standards, including larger rooms, safe public areas and qualified support staff. Offending landlords should face criminal convictions, they argue.
Rhys Matthews, a 26-year-old who spent two years homeless, described his experience of supported housing as “the worst place I’ve ever lived”. Matthews moved into supported housing after health problems led him to leave foster care. He was eventually evicted after one resident threw a knife at him. Matthews, who now lives in supported housing provided by charity Emmaus and works there, argued that the new supported housing law should exact strict standards and punishments.
The National Housing Federation has said that the law would not help to solve the problem of providers shutting down, due to financial difficulties. Over a third of such providers shut down in 2018, with 60% planning to do so in future. Many charities have said that increasing homelessness and cuts to NHS funding have led to higher demand for supported housing. The sector has been described as a “pressure cooker”
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