Council awarded £2.4m to help people with disabilities live independently

Shropshire Council has been awarded over £2.4m to help people with disabilities live independently in their own homes.

The funding forms part of the £25m Government fund announced today (Tuesday 20 December 2016) by Health Minister David Mowat.

Shropshire was one of 52 councils who were successful in their bid and has received the highest amount – £2,415,000 – out of all bidders from the £25m pot.

Left to right: Laura Fisher, housing services manager; Lee Chapman, Cabinet member of adults; Andy Begley, director of adult services; Fiona Whitaker, housing options officer; Ann Sutcliffe, Executive Director – Neighbourhoods, Shropshire Housing Group; and Charlotte Hayward-Prince, Commercial Sales and Lettings Agent, Wrekin Housing Trust.

Only 15% of adults with learning disabilities in England have a secure long-term tenancy or their own home.

The £25m funding from the Department of Health aims to address this by supporting projects including shared ownership schemes, adapting existing properties with new technology and even building new technologically adapted homes. There is a growing demand from individuals for this kind of opportunity – hence the recent Department of Health round of funding.

Shropshire’s project will help assist at least 30 adults with learning disabilities to purchase properties through the Government’s ‘Home Ownership for Clients with Long Term Disabilities’ (HOLD) scheme. This is shared ownership scheme that enables individuals with enduring physical and/or learning disabilities – this includes those with challenging behaviour, sensory impairment and complex needs – to buy a home of their own.

Homes will be innovatively designed using assistive technology, allowing individuals to remain independent at home.

The Shropshire project is being supported by My Safe Home, an organisation who support people with disabilities who want to buy their own home, and has been backed by registered social landlords across Shropshire including Wrekin Housing Trust, Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing, Severnside Housing and Shropshire Housing Group.

The aim of Shropshire’s project is to assist people with long term disabilities to:

• Achieve better independent living outcomes
• Achieve improved sustainability of accommodation
• Access accommodation of their own, with the intention of that property being a long term sustainable option
• Remain independent for as long as possible via access to Telecare and assistive technology that is resilient to future funding challenges.

The project also aims to ensure families and / or carers have peace of mind regarding long- term sustainable accommodation options for their family members.

Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and planning, said:

“I am absolutely thrilled that we have been awarded this funding from the Department of Health. This is brilliant news in particular for those individuals with disabilities who wish to buy their own property.

“Shropshire Council is committed to working in partnership with individuals, agencies and organisations to improve the quality of life of people with learning disabilities. This funding has now given us a fantastic opportunity to assist people with disabilities to buy a property that meets their needs in an area they want, giving them independence, and helping them feel more included in their local community.”

Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adults, added:

“Being able to remain in your own home has a significant impact on your health, well-being and feeling of independence, and in Shropshire we are very much committed to helping people with disabilities, live as comfortably and independently as possible.

“Most importantly we want to enable their aspirations to flourish, whether those aspirations are to cook their own meals, find employment or have a home of their own.

“I am therefore absolutely delighted we have received this funding from the Department of Health which will help deliver the greater independence that people with disabilities want.”

Whilst many of the housing needs will be met for those entering their new home, the council will work with individuals and their families and carers to ensure they continue to get the right care package that meets their needs. New occupants will also receive support to help manage their property through Shropshire’s Sustain Service who will also help individuals with the knowledge and skills for home ownership. This will enable social work teams and care providers to focus on the care needs of the individual rather than the day- to-day running of a property.

For more information about Shropshire’s project email housingoptions@shropshire.gov.uk quoting ‘HOLD’ in your subject title.

Further information

The key aims of the Government’s fund were to:

• Prevent unnecessary in-patient admissions. The fund will provide solutions for people who require urgent housing and are at risk of entering inappropriate services like hospital or residential care.
• Encourage a move towards community-based solutions which promote independence and choice over housing.
• Make use of new technologies and other bespoke adaptations to improve and adapt existing accommodation, enabling people to remain living independently.
• Deliver efficiencies – providing specially-adapted housing means there is less of a requirement for costly hands-on care. 

Aims for Shropshire

• Achieve better independent living outcomes for individuals with disabilities
• Achieve improved sustainability of accommodation for individuals with disabilities
• Increase the number of individuals with disabilities accessing accommodation of their own, with the intention of that property being a long term sustainable option
• Ensure families and / or carers have peace of mind regarding long-term sustainable accommodation options for their family members
• Decrease the numbers of service users admitted to residential care who are, with the right accommodation and support/care, able to live independently
• Deliver cost savings for adult services through avoidance of residential care for individuals who are willing and able to live independently
• Reduce the numbers of individuals placed into temporary accommodation in a crisis situation due to being unable to remain in their current home due to an illness or death of a family member
• Reduce the number and/or length of care visits for individuals who are willing and able to live independently
• Ensure an individual remains independent for as long as possible via access to Telecare and assistive technology that is resilient to future funding challenges.

An expert steering group consulted criteria specified in the application in order to allocate funds to the 52 successful bidders. The funding will be made available to successful bidders over the next two financial years.

Application pack, including criteria: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-and-technology-fund-for-people-with-learning-disabilities

• The £25 million fund complements the Transforming Care programme, which aims to move people out of in-patient care and into the community.
• This builds on £20 million already earmarked by NHS England for 2016/17 as part of its Transforming Care programme, for use by schemes across the country, including new housing and services.

The successful areas:

All have been awarded funding for 1 project, unless otherwise specified:

Essex – 5 projects

Thurrock

Herefordshire Council

Dudley MBC

Lincolnshire County Council

North Lincolnshire Council

North East Lincolnshire Council

Shropshire

Telford & Wrekin

Northamptonshire County Council

City of Wolverhampton

Staffordshire County Council

Nottinghamshire

Isle of Wight

Bournemouth

Bristol

Kent County Council – 2 projects

North Somerset Council

Bath & North East Somerset

Slough Borough Council – 3 projects

Somerset County Council

Surrey County Council

Swindon Borough Council

Gloucestershire County Council – 3 projects

Cornwall

Dorset County Council

Enfield

North Central & Camden

Blackpool

Durham

Northumberland

Newcastle

Stockton

Sunderland

Salford

Sheffield

Wakefield

Cheshire West

Halton

North Tyneside

Wigan

Hull