Agenda item

The report seeks to assess the current and projected need for supported housing within Leicester for LCC tenants with substance, alcohol dependencies and/or mental health needs. It also examines the legislation introduced by central government to regulate Supported Housing.

The Deputy City Mayor for Housing, Economy and Neighbourhoods introduced the report. They noted that it was a very important piece of work, with unique challenges that focused on the best practice nationally. 

The Head of Service for Housing delivered the report, and it was noted that:

·       Previous reports had been brought to the Commission, which highlighted how the tenant population had changed in recent years.

·       There was an increasing number of tenants with complex health and support needs who were unable to sustain independent tenancies. The purpose of the report was to propose the development of further options for supported housing for Leicester City Council tenants and to assess the projected needs of tenants.

·       In the past, the council had supported housing available for tenants. However, the schemes had now closed, leaving limited options available for Leicester City Council tenants.

·       The STAR Service had bridged the gap by offering floating support. Following this, the service had received excellent feedback, with users describing the support received as life changing. However, there were still some tenants that the service was unable to support effectively. This was due to a variety of factors, such as: substance abuse, mental illness, domestic abuse, being prison leavers or a combination of all these factors. These factors could result in antisocial behaviour, cuckooing, rent arrears and homelessness.

·       The impact of these pressures on local services and residents could be quite substantial. Similarly, the impact on individuals was very harmful as they were often placed in tenancies that they were unable to sustain with the Leicester City Council.

·       To alleviate this, a Help Beyond Housing Team had been formed with funding awarded from the Department of Health. The team had worked with the most complex tenants and had been successful in stabilising tenancies. This had significantly reduced instances of rough sleeping among council tenants.

·       Currently in Leicester, there were three (3) council-funded housing options for residents:

o   Homelessness Provision (Temporary Accommodation)

o   General Needs

o   Supported Living and Extra Care (Provided by Adult Social Care)

·       There were currently no suitable accommodations to place tenants who had failed their tenancies a few times as a result of substance use and alcohol dependency, particularly within the Council’s funded housing options.

·       Leicester also had a significant amount of unmapped and unregulated supported housing. Under new legislation, local authorities were now required to oversee and regulate these services, which would be undertaken as an additional project.

·       The supported exempt accommodation was being proposed to target tenants who were currently unable to sustain successive tenancies. The proposal for this specialised housing option was driven by the following:

1.    It had been identified that managing such tenancies required significant resources, and the associated impact on other residents led to numerous complaints, enquiries, and incidents of crime and disorder on Council estates.

2.    Temporary accommodation presented a significant cost, particularly due to the need to move not only individuals, but sometimes neighbouring households affected by tenants' behaviour.

3.    In some cases, tenants had to be relocated because they had become targets of criminal activity, including cuckooing and similar issues.

4.    Associated costs, including voids, repair works, and compensation awards following complaints, were continuing to increase.

·       Data from homelessness assessments and drug and alcohol needs assessments showed that Leicester had a higher percentage of individuals in drug treatment with housing problems compared to national figures:

o   18.1% in Leicester vs. 13.5% across England.

o   14.8% of those with no fixed abode in Leicester had urgent housing needs, compared to 7.5% nationally.

o   Within the homeless pathway, 20% of single people were identified as having complex support needs.

o   Current data identified 71 tenants who would benefit from supported housing.

The projected need included:

o   11 units of low-level "trailer" supported accommodation

o   24 units of medium-level supported accommodation

o   36 units of high-risk, long-term supported accommodation

The high-risk accommodation had been identified as the most urgently needed, and the recommendation was for identified buildings to be repurposed or purchased for use as supported housing.

• Affordability would be a key consideration, with the schemes intended to reduce overall budget pressures by enabling people to move into more appropriate, settled accommodation.
• An initial feasibility study had taken place for Welford Road, currently a block of general needs housing. Local ward councillors would be consulted if this site proved feasible.
• The Zip Trainer Flats scheme had already been established and had proven successful in helping tenants develop the skills needed to integrate back into the community before moving on to an independent tenancy.
• The lower-level accommodation had already been set up as part of this initiative, but higher-level supported accommodation was now urgently needed for those unable to sustain tenancies in general needs housing.
  
  

In response to questions and comments from Members, it was noted that:

·       An analysis had been carried out to ascertain tenants who needed to be moved and the reasons why, and the data identified a number of people who were continuously failing successive tenancies.  The STAR Service was typically used to support people for  6-12 months, but  some people were being supported for years, due to their need for on-site support which was unlikely to end. Work was continuing to source suitable accommodation for these tenants, including options like the Welford Road Study and supported accommodation that was available through Adult Social Care.

·       The Council needed to be mindful to ensure that sourcing additional supported living accommodation would not affect the general housing provision. There was a separate acquisitions programme that focused on general needs housing. Existing stock within the city would be reviewed, as it may not be utilised to full capacity. The report showed that general needs housing was not appropriate for the people who needed supported housing. As such, there might be a change from what was historically 100% general need housing to 95% general need and 5% supported housing. 

·       The Supported Housing Act 2023 was voted in by the previous government and had cross-party support. Due to the change of government following the General Election, there was a delay to the Act being implemented. The consultation started around a month ago and was still ongoing.

·       Leicester’s higher percentage of individuals in drug treatment with housing problems compared to national figures was partly due to the level of deprivation in Leicester, which could lead to more complex lifestyles. Additionally, local authorities had faced significant funding cuts from the Central Government, which caused local authorities to suffer disproportionately and had taken away their ability to be able to support people in high need.

·       The local plan sets out that the council could ask providers of larger sites to facilitate 30% affordable housing. The new local plan proposals also included the requirement for people to include larger sites of 30% affordable housing. When the owner/developer believes they cannot meet this requirement for smaller sites, it becomes a localised discussion between the planning department and the actual owners of the land in relation to what level of affordable housing development wsa appropriate for that specific smaller site.

Members congratulated the Housing Team on The Zips Building, following a site visit.

AGREED:

1.    The Commission noted the report.

2.    Feedback from residents of the Zip Building to be added to the work programme.