Housing LIN celebrates Starts at Home Day, backing call to protect supported housing

We are proud to celebrate Starts at Home Day, a national awareness campaign led by the National Housing Federation (NHF) to highlight the value of supported housing and the difference it makes to thousands of lives across the country.

Supported housing plays a vital role in enabling older and vulnerable people to live well and independently in their own homes, avoiding more costly health and care interventions. The importance of this was demonstrated in recent years with the passing of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act, which aims to strengthen the quality and oversight of supported housing provision.

Starts at Home Day builds on the NHF’s Save Our Supported Housing (#SOSHousing) campaign, which calls for urgent action to address the current funding crisis facing supported housing providers. Housing LIN previously pledged its support to this campaign, recognising that without proper investment, many people risk losing access to the specialist housing and support they rely on.

Jeremy Porteus, Chief Executive of Housing LIN, said:

“We whole-heartedly support the NHF’s #SOSHousing campaign. Supported housing is an important accommodation of choice for many people in need of care and support at home thereby avoiding more costly interventions. It is therefore vital that new and existing supported housing is adequately funded and resourced. We are proud to work with commissioners and providers to assess the need for supported housing and also help them develop their associated strategies and plans."

As we mark Starts at Home Day, Housing LIN joins partners and providers across the sector in celebrating the positive impact of supported housing and urging policymakers to take action to safeguard its future.

Lastly, to accompany this campaign, NHF have published research (opens new window) following a survey of their members revealing that 1 in 10 supported homes in England are at imminent risk of closure.