Hull City Council has been awarded £840k to carry out vital work to improve the standards of supported accommodation across the city.
The second stage of funding for a pilot programme which reviews the quality and value for money of non-commissioned supported housing was announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) today (Friday 19 March).
The authority was originally awarded £798k in November to kick-start this project, and now the funding will build on some of the important work already going on in the community to raise the standards expected by residents when living in supported accommodation.
It will also allow the local authority to continue working with some of the city’s most vulnerable residents in a holistic manner, ensuring they have access to the right levels of support through all partners involved.
Councillor John Black, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for housing, said: “We welcome the second stage of this funding as it will enable our teams to continue carrying out this vital work, which supports some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“We are passionate about working with our residents and partners to improve supported housing conditions and can already see the difference it has made for many people in helping them to live more stable and independent lives.
“As well as contributing towards establishing a national standard for supported housing, the funding will enable us to improve our understanding of the supply and demand of short-term supported housing locally and further build our relationships with key partners.”
Over the last few months the project had provided valuable insight into how these services can be improved by testing a range of innovative ideas. For example, the Love Your Street and the Neighbourhood Nuisance Teams have been able to work collaboratively and provide targeted support and community engagement aiming to improve neighbourhoods with supported accommodation.
The project has also equipped the council with the tools to check properties, accommodation standards, support provision and the associated Housing Benefit claims.
The team will now look to continue this work, whilst incorporating a digitalised system which will allow the relevant support teams to access information about an individual in supported accommodation, to ensure they are receiving the right level of support.
