North Norfolk Housing Strategy 2012-2015
(Supporting Vulnerable People to Live Independently
within the Community)
Foreword
The Council has set itself an ambition that ‘everyone in North Norfolk should
have the opportunity to buy or rent a decent home at a price they can afford,
in a community where they want to live or work’. Some residents in North
Norfolk will need support in order to achieve this and there will need to be a
range of housing provision and support to meet the diverse needs of the
district’s residents, this document considers these needs.
Ensuring that vulnerable people can live independently within the community
with appropriate support is an increasingly challenging agenda in the current
economic climate and at a time of diminishing resources for the provision of
public services. There are however some opportunities:
Pooling or aligning budgets
Shared services and partnership approaches
Engaging with Locality Commissioning (Primary Care Trust, Norfolk
County Council and North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group).
Supporting residents into work to reduce benefit dependency
Community groups and organisations delivering services (including
through the Community Right to Challenge).
Research has demonstrated a pivotal link between poor housing condition
and ill health and ill health is very often a factor in social deprivation. The
potential for delivering significant improvements in health and well-being and
significant financial savings to health and social care commissioners through
investment in housing is relatively untested but offers a real opportunity to
improve outcomes in a cost effective way.
Introduction
Purpose of document
This document is the third in a suite of three that have been developed and
which together outline the Council’s strategic approach to housing to meet our
ambition that:
‘everyone in North Norfolk should have the opportunity to buy or rent a
decent home at a price they can afford, in a community where they
want to live or work’
This document outlines the Council’s strategic approach to supporting
residents to live independently and is supported by the Housing Enforcement
Policy, Housing Renewal Policy, Housing Register Policy and allocations
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policies (Allocations Scheme) as well as the Homelessness Strategy and
includes the following:
Background
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of vulnerable
people: older people, people with a physical disability, people with
mental health problems, people with learning difficulties and severe
sensory impairment, people at risk of or recovering from domestic
abuse, young people (16 and 17 year olds), teenage parents, Gypsies
and Travellers, vulnerable homeless people and ex-offenders
Action Plan
Background
The majority of people are able to live independently without any need for
assistance. However, some people will need help in finding suitable
accommodation, others will need support whilst they learn the skills required
for independence, some will require support on an on-going basis and others
will need support to address a reduction in mobility or health or following
bereavement. The amount of support required will vary with some requiring
short term or low level assistance whilst others require a significant amount of
support or support over the long term. Support services are provided by a
wide range of different agencies including the district council. The Council will
need to use its influence to ensure that the available services meet the needs
of the district’s residents and that these dovetail with and compliment the
services provided by the Council avoiding unnecessary duplication and
inefficiency.
Supporting People a national programme administered by top tier authorities
for the commissioning and regulation of housing related support services was
set up in 2003. This programme was integrated into the joint commissioning
arrangements for community health and social care in April 2011 and is
expected to be integrated into the Clinical Commissioning Group locality
structures in April 2013. The Supporting People budget for Norfolk in 2012/13
is a little over £15m and funds a wide range of accommodation based support
services and housing related support services across the county including a
range of services in the North Norfolk district. The district Council is
represented on a county wide multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Commissioning
Body and discussions are on-going to develop a similar decision making body
in preparation for the move towards locality commissioning.
The District Wide Housing Needs Survey undertaken in 2006/07 showed that:
23% of households in the district had one or more members with a
defined support need (in similar surveys elsewhere this has been 1314%)
19% of households had one member with a support need whilst 3%
had two members with a support need and a further 1% had more than
two members with a support need
14% of households had a member with a single support need whilst
8% of households had a member with multiple needs.
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14% of households had a member with a physical disability
11% of households had a member who was frail elderly
4% of households had a member with a mental health problem
1% of households had a member with a severe sensory disability
1% of households had a member with a learning difficulty
3% of households had a support need not falling into one of the above
categories.
Households with support needs are much more likely to live in
unsuitable housing (12%) compared to households who do not have
support needs (4%)
37% of households living in the social rented sector have a support
need compared to 23% across all tenures
Only 23% of the households with a support need live in properties that
have been specifically adapted for a disabled member.
The Stock Condition Survey also undertaken in 2006/07 identified that 7% of
the occupied stock in the district had been adapted.
The Housing Needs Survey identified that only 8% of households stated they
needed to move to alternative housing with specialist adaptations, other
needs identified were for adaptions to the current property, emergency alarm
services or support services.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
older people
The 2011 Census shows that 29% of the population of North Norfolk is aged
65 or above, the third highest nationally. This has significant implications for
the demand for support and personal care services to enable older people to
remain independent.
In recent years older people in need of personal care services have had little
option but to move into residential care or nursing home establishments. More
recently however there has been shift towards enabling people to live
independently in their own homes with care being provided and funded
through personal budgets and this is likely to continue. This is supported by a
range of housing options such as retirement housing (older person only
schemes which may be for purchase or rent and may or may not have a
housing support service provided although the majority of schemes for rent do
provide a housing support service funded by Supporting People) and Housing
with Care (older person housing where the resident must have a need for
personal care which can be for sale or rent).
In North Norfolk, there is range of retirement housing for rent or sale (some of
the properties for sale are entry level and some are at the top of the housing
market). The 2 Housing with Care schemes are for rent only and do not have
any provision for older people with dementia. Norfolk County Council has an
aspiration to deliver a further 150 Housing with Care units in the district to
replace residential care homes and to meet on-going newly arising needs to
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2020 and these will offer accommodation for purchase and rent and include
provision for older people suffering with dementia. The Council will work with
Norfolk County Council in the joint commissioning and enabling of any new
Housing with Care schemes.
The specification for the retirement homes for rent which provide a housing
support service to residents (generally called sheltered housing) has recently
been revised to provide consistency of service across Norfolk with a
maximum level of support now being funded through Supporting People. Most
service providers have aligned their services in line with the funding now
available. The largest provider in the district has however decided to cease
providing its support service and Norfolk County Council is currently procuring
a new service provider in line with the funding available. An officer from the
Council is advising on the procurement process and will be involved in the
tender evaluation.
The Supporting People funding for sheltered housing was reduced in order to
reinvest the saving in the commissioning of a community based
outreach/floating support service for older people across Norfolk. Services
have recently been procured and the service covering North Norfolk is being
provided by the British Red Cross from September 2012. An officer from the
Council was involved in the tender evaluation.
The Council was involved in the multi-agency development and delivery of the
county-wide Warm and Well project over the last winter. This project was
targeted at older people with the objective of reducing excess winter deaths.
This project was delivered in conjunction with the Council’s Stay Warm and
Cosy scheme which offers advice, information and guidance to residents of
the district to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and alleviate fuel
poverty. A further bid to the Warm Homes Healthy People Fund to deliver the
Warm and Well project over the coming winter is currently being developed.
The Council is currently reviewing its Housing Renewal Policy and as part of
this will seek to develop a scheme of financial assistance including small
targeted grants and loans to assist vulnerable home owners (many of which
will be elderly) to maintain their homes with a focus on alleviating fuel poverty.
The Council and Norfolk County Council (through Supporting People) jointly
fund the South Norfolk Care and Repair service to provide a Home
Improvement Agency Service delivered by a case worker based alongside the
Council’s Housing Team. This service is primarily used by older people.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
people with a physical disability
The Council has a statutory duty to provide assistance with the funding of
adaptations for disabled people through Disabled Facilities Grant. The Council
receives a contribution towards the cost of the works from Government which
on average has met 50% of the overall cost of the grants given in recent
years. The Council has undertaken a significant amount of work in recent
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years to improve the service and outcomes more generally for disabled
people approaching the Council for assistance. It has streamlined the
Disabled Facilities Grant process and has led on the development of a
County-wide project to further streamline processes, improve systems and
ensure consistency of delivery. The project has resulted in a proposal to
develop Integrated Housing Adaptation Teams bringing together relevant
officers from the district Councils, County Council and Home Improvement
Agency caseworker located in the districts. The team for North Norfolk is
expected to be in place by the end of 2012.
The Council in partnership with the largest social housing provider in the
district has developed the Independent Living Service. The Council provides
funding to the provider which is match funded and used to deliver either minor
and major adaptations or alternatives such as meeting the costs of relocation
to meet the needs of their tenants thus avoiding the need to apply for a
Disabled Facilities Grant. Any works would be undertaken by contractors
employed and managed by the provider to a standard determined by the
provider. It is expected that any works needed would be delivered quicker and
that efficiencies could be negotiated with the contractor. It is in the best
interests of the provider to deliver a good service and achieve high levels of
satisfaction. The service has been running for over a year now and is in the
process of being reviewed. The Council is keen to develop similar
arrangements with other social housing providers as an alternative to the
Disabled Facilities Grant process.
The Council will where appropriate, propose relocation where this will best
meet the needs of a disabled person and their household. The Council
identifies the level of need for adapted and fully wheelchair accessible
properties, through the Your Choice Your Home scheme and seeks to meet
this need, along with other identified needs, in development proposals. In
addition the Council has developed the Your Choice Your Home scheme to
identify adapted properties at the advert stage and where appropriate priority
will be given to disabled applicants for such properties. The County-wide
project is also looking at the development of an Adapted Housing Register.
The Council has some concerns over the impact of some of the Government’s
Welfare Reforms on disabled people as no account will be taken of the need
for a disabled person to have their own bedroom and sleep separately to their
partner or for the need for additional space for equipment. Any shortfall in
rent could be made up from Discretionary Housing Payments but these are
not meant to be provided on a long term basis. There is concern that the
reforms may reduce the housing options available to disabled people. The
Council will provide support to disabled tenants and applicants to ensure they
can access the most appropriate accommodation available.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
people with mental health problems
The housing related support needs of people with mental health problems are
generally met through the generic floating support service provided county5
wide by Stonham. Where a person requires specialist support they can be
referred by Stonham to the service provided by Julian Support.
The Council makes a small contribution from its Homelessness Prevention
Grant to the funding of the Hospital Link Worker Service provided by Julian
Support. This service supports people who are being discharged from
Hellesdon Hospital to re-establish themselves in the community and to avoid
homelessness (in particular rough sleeping).
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
people with learning difficulties and severe sensory
impairment
There are a number of small supported housing schemes in the district for
people with learning difficulties which were specifically commissioned to meet
the needs of those who had been in long term institutional settings such at
Little Plumstead Hospital. A further scheme was developed to meet the needs
of those being rehoused from Meadow Cottage in Overstrand. Referrals into
these schemes will come direct from Norfolk County Council.
It is understood that there is a high number of people with learning difficulties
in the district who are living with older carers (generally parents) and it is
thought that most could live independently in the community with support.
Strategic reviews have been undertaken of the services for people with
Learning Difficulties and as a result services across the county are being
remodelled and savings being released will be used to commission floating
support services for this group.
There is no specific supported housing provision for people with a severe
sensory impairment and due to the low prevalence and high needs of this
group provision tends to be commissioned to meet the needs of a larger
catchment area than district level.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
people at risk of or recovering from domestic abuse
The Council enabled the provision of a domestic abuse refuge in the district in
recent years. This facility is linked to the national support service for victims of
domestic abuse and will accept referrals from across the country. Victims of
domestic abuse from North Norfolk will also be able to access the network of
refuges across the country.
Housing related support can be provided to victims of domestic abuse through
the Stonham service.
The Council will consider on a case by case basis using its Homelessness
Prevention Funding to carry out security measures to homes of those at risk
of or recovering from domestic abuse.
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The Council is a partner in multi-agency public protection arrangements and
will attend case conferences to seek solutions for those at risk of domestic
abuse and to ensure the safety of the wider public.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
young people (16 and 17 year olds)
The Council led on the development of the county-wide strategy for young
people ‘Routes to Independence’ and subsequently on the development and
launch of the Joint Protocol for Young Homeless People and Care Leavers.
The Council works closely with Children’s Services to find solutions for young
homeless 16 and 17 year olds and will where appropriate undertake joint
assessments. The Council will also assist in the rehousing of Care leavers
and contribute to pathway planning.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
teenage parents
There is no specific supported accommodation for teenage parents in the
district. Lone teenage parents should not be housed independently without
support. The Council will refer teenage parents who are 16 or 17 to Children’s
Services for assessment. Where the Council has a duty to house a lone
teenage parent a referral to the Stonham service will be made to ensure that
support is provided.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
Gypsies and Travellers
The Council does not have any permanent publically managed Gypsy and
Traveller sites in the district. Past assessments have not identified a need for
such provision. The Council has however provided two Short Stay Stopping
Places for Gypsies and Travellers coming to the district for a visit. The Council
occasionally receives applications from Gypsies or Travellers for
consideration for permanent rehousing. The Ormiston Trust has been
commissioned to deliver a county-wide support service to members of the
Gypsy and Traveller community.
A Gypsy and Traveller Strategy for Norfolk and Suffolk has been developed
which the Council has been asked to endorse.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of
vulnerable homeless people
The Council has a statutory duty to prevent homelessness. In addition the
Council has a statutory duty to provide accommodation to households who
are homeless and in priority need which includes those who are deemed to be
vulnerable. The Council will not have a duty to provide accommodation to all
homeless people but has a duty to provide advice and assistance in all cases.
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It is likely that all homeless people regardless of whether they are vulnerable
will require some form of support to find alternative accommodation.
The Council offers a range of accommodation options through the Your
Choice Your Home scheme and will offer support where required to applicants
to access these options. The Council has a Homelessness Prevention Fund
and will offer financial assistance to those who are homeless or who are at
risk of homelessness where the Council would have a duty to provide
accommodation. This can take the form of a loan for rent in advance or a
deposit or in some cases a loan to pay off rent or mortgage arrears to prevent
homelessness.
The Government has provided £352,000 to be administered by the Borough
Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk to develop services across Norfolk
and Waveney to support the Government’s No Second Night Out policy to
reduce rough sleeping. The Council will work with the Norfolk authorities and
Waveney District Council to develop services to meet this objective.
There are a number of supported housing schemes in the district for young
homeless people aged 16-25 and a supported housing scheme for other
homeless people 25 and over. None of these services are direct access and
anyone homeless in an emergency who is not entitled to accommodation
provided by the Council would have to look to direct access provision in
Norwich, Great Yarmouth or King’s Lynn.
The Council supports the multi-agency Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group
and encourages partners to identify ways in which perpetrators of low level
anti-social behaviour can be supported particularly where lack of suitable
housing may be a factor in their behaviour.
The Council will work with agencies through the Common Assessment
Framework process to identify ways in which families can be supported to
sustain their accommodation and will look to services such as the Families
Intervention Project delivered through Stonham to get involved where there
are particularly complex needs. The Council will work with Norfolk County
Council and other partners to deliver the Government’s Troubled Families
programme.
The Council’s Homelessness Strategy will be reviewed to take account of the
new Housing Strategy.
Meeting the housing and housing related support needs of exoffenders
There are no specific supported housing schemes for ex-offenders in the
district. The supported housing schemes in the district for homeless people
will also be able to support ex-offenders who are homeless. In addition the
services developed using the funding from Government to deliver the No
Second Night Out policy objectives are likely to include a focus on supporting
ex-offenders.
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Action Plan
The Council will take the following actions to help ensure households have
access to the information, advice and support they need to access and
maintain independent housing or supported housing.
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Supporting Vulnerable Residents to Live Independently in the
Community Action Plan
Actions
Outcome
Timescale
Lead Officer
Ensure that the
changes to the
Allocations Scheme
delivers the objectives
of the strategy to
support vulnerable
people to live
independently within the
community
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
31 December
2012
Housing Services
Manager
Consider how the
support offered by the
Council to residents to
access learning and
employment
opportunities can
dovetail with the
support offered by the
Council to residents in
accessing housing
opportunities with a
particular emphasis on
mitigating the impact of
Welfare Reforms and
supporting Tenancy
Reform
Supporting
30
(vulnerable) people September
to live independently 2013
within the
community and
supporting residents
to access housing
options in line with
their aspirations
Head of
Customer
Services and
Head of
Economic and
Community
Development
Work with the Council’s
Revenues and Benefits
Team to support
vulnerable residents to
mitigate against the
impact of Welfare
Reforms and the
implementation of the
Local Council Tax
Support Scheme and to
ensure where possible
that residents do not
find themselves at risk
of homelessness
Ensure policies are
developed which
support
homelessness
prevention including
Local Council Tax
Support Scheme
and Hardship
Fund/Discretionary
Housing Payments
Policy/
Homelessness
Prevention Fund
and Allocations
Scheme
Head of
Customer
Services,
Housing Services
Manager,
Housing Options
Team Leader and
Benefits Manager
10
31 March
2013
Influence the
development of locality
commissioning
structures and
processes (including
the disaggregation of
budgets) to sit
alongside/replace
county commissioning
structures and
processes
To ensure that the
Council continues to
be represented in
decisions taken in
respect of
commissioning and
budgets for the
commissioning of
supported housing
and housing related
support and where
appropriate wider
commissioning
decisions
31 March
2013
Housing Services
Manager
Jointly
commission/enable the
development of
proposals for new
Housing with Care
schemes in the districts
larger settlements of
North Walsham and
Fakenham
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community/meeting
the needs of the
growing older
population
31 March
2015
Housing Services
Manager
Support the
implementation of the
new floating support
service for older people
delivered by the British
Red Cross
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
31 March
2013
Housing Services
Manager
Undertake a review of
the Independent Living
Service delivered by
Victory Housing Trust
Ensure that the
needs of disabled
residents are being
met and funding
provided by the
Council is being
used effectively and
delivering value
1 October
2012
Housing Services
Manager
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Implement the
Integrated Housing
Adaptation Team to
streamline the provision
of Disabled Facilities
Grant and improve
outcomes for disabled
residents
Ensure that the
needs of disabled
residents are being
met and funding
provided by the
Council is being
used effectively and
delivering value
30 November
2012
Housing Services
Manager
Support the
development of a bid to
the Warm Homes
Healthy People fund
building of the
successes of the
delivery of the Warm
and Well project in
2011/12 and if the bid is
successful deliver
2012/13 project
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community/reduce
excess winter
deaths
31 March
2013
Housing Services
Manager
Review the Housing
Renewal Policy and
develop a scheme of
financial assistance to
support low income
households to maintain
their properties
Supporting
(financially)
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
5 November
2012
Housing Services
Manager
Report to Cabinet
Support Victory
Housing Trust to
temporarily
decant/rehouse tenants
to enable the
redevelopment of three
sheltered housing
schemes in the East of
the district
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
31 March
2015
Housing Options
Team Leader
Represent the Council
in the procurement of a
new service provider for
the support service for
tenants in Victory
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
31 March
2013
Housing Services
Manager
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Housing Trust’s
sheltered housing stock
Review the Council’s
Homelessness Strategy
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
15 April 2013
Housing Services
Manager/Housing
Options Team
Leader
Report to Cabinet
Work with the Borough
Council of King’s Lynn
and West Norfolk to
develop county-wide
services to support the
Government’s No
Second Night Out policy
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community/preventi
ng rough sleeping
31 March
2013
Housing Options
Team Leader
Work with Children’s
Services to co-ordinate
an effective response to
deliver outcomes
against the
Government’s Troubled
Families programme
Supporting
vulnerable people to
live independently
within the
community
31 March
2013
Housing Services
Manager/Housing
Options Team
Leader
Monitoring and review
The delivery of the strategy (Supporting vulnerable people to live
independently within the Community) and progress against the action plan will
be monitored on a regular basis by the Head of Economic and Community
Development. The actions will be reflected in the relevant Service Business
Plans and appraisals of individual officers and formally reviewed on an annual
basis. In addition progress against the actions which are also included in the
Corporate Plan Action Plan 2012/13 will be reported to Cabinet through the
Performance and Risk Management Board.
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