Housing for older and disadvantaged people

Many older, vulnerable or disadvantaged people experience crises that affect their health or wellbeing. They need housing support to help them lead full and active lives. A home should help people be independent and give them the security to be active members of their communities.

Background

The UK population is ageing and the numbers at the oldest ages will increase the fastest. In 2008 there were 1.3 million people in the UK aged 85 and over; this number is projected to more than double over twenty-five years to 3.3 million by 2033.

An ageing society is one of the great challenges we face in housing. As we get older, our housing needs change. We may need support to be able to continue to live in our own homes, or we may want to move into housing, more suited to our needs.

As well as providing support for older people today, there is also the challenge of making sure that the right type of housing and support is available for future generations of older people.

It is not only older people who might need support to live independently. The Department for Communities and Local Government plays a critical role in funding housing related support to a wide range of groups including people who have been homeless. The aim is to help people live independently, and prevent crises occurring that necessitate more intensive intervention. This support helps avoid additional costs to health, care, probation and homelessness services.

What we are doing

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) allocations

The Disabled Facilities Grant is a mandatory entitlement that helps disabled people to live as comfortably and independently as possible in their own homes through the provision of adaptations.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced the local authority allocations (PDF, 135kb) for the Disabled Facilities Grant programme in England for 2011-12 in March 2011, making available £180m, an increase of £11m on the amount allocated for 2010-11. An extra £20m has now been made available for DFG in 2011-12 and the local authority allocations of this additional funding are set out in the attached document.

The grant, therefore, is key in delivering the Government's objective of providing increased levels of care and support to people in their own homes.

Supporting People

The Supporting People programme began on 1 April 2003, bringing together seven housing-related funding streams from across central government. It is now a wholly decentralised programme, administered through 152 top-tier authorities who have complete discretion over where to direct their funds to best meet local needs. From 2011-12, all Supporting People funding will be rolled into Formula Grant and allocated via the Local Government Finance Report for the relevant financial year. Services are largely delivered by the voluntary and community sector, and housing associations.

Supporting People services help around one million people at any one time, including approximately:

826,600 older people with support needs
38,600 single homeless people
37,300 people with mental health problems
12,000 women at risk of domestic violence.

Housing for older people

We are committed to helping elderly people live at home for longer through solutions such as home adaptations and community support programmes. Work towards this includes:

Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) (external link)
The HAPPI panel reported on its findings in December 2009.
Lifetime Neighbourhoods
We have commissioned a report for local authorities on how to make Lifetime Neighbourhoods a reality.
Home Improvement Agencies
Agencies that help homeowners and private sector tenants, advising on improvements and adaptations that their clients may need in their homes, helping to apply for grants or loans and helping identify reputable local contractors to do the work. The Department for Communities and Local Government sponsors Foundations (external link), the national body for Home Improvement Agencies.
Handypersons
Handypersons do odd jobs, home and fire safety, energy checks, fall prevention checks, and signpost clients to other services. Since 2008, the Department for Communities and Local Government has provided funding to expand handypersons services nationwide, and for 19 projects to test innovative housing related support services. The independent evaluation of handyperson services was published in January 2012 and is available below under 'Related publications'.
The Handypersons benefits toolkit (available to download below from 'Related publications') helps Local Authorities to estimate the financial benefits and value for money of these services and demonstrates savings to commissioning partners.
FirstStop (external link)
This is a free, independent national information and advice service for older people, their family and carers funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government. It provides joined-up advice across a range of housing, care and finance rights and issues. We are also investing in the development of local FirstStop partnerships to offer more intensive local support and advocacy services for older people. Telephone: 0800 377 7070 e-mail: info@firststopcareadvice.org.uk.
SITRA (external link)
Sitra is an umbrella membership organisation dedicated to raising standards in the housing care and support sector. Sitra is funded by DCLG.
Housing Learning and Improvement Network (external link)
Previously responsible for managing the Department of Health's Extra Care Housing Fund, the Housing Learning and Improvement Network is the leading 'knowledge hub' for over 5,700 of housing, health and social care professionals in England involved in planning, commissioning, designing, funding, building and managing housing, care and support services for older people and vulnerable people.

Adult safeguarding

The Government's policy on safeguarding vulnerable adults is set out in Statement of Government policy on adult safeguarding (external link) by the Department of Health. The document includes a statement of principles for use by Local Authority Social Services and housing, health, the police and other agencies for both developing and assessing the effectiveness of their local safeguarding arrangements.