The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund

Speaking at the National Children and Adult Services annual conference in Eastbourne today, Norman Lamb MP - the Minister of Care Services at the Department of Health - has announced the arrangements for applying for the Care and Support Housing Fund.

The £300million capital Fund will be administered by the Homes and Communities Agency (and the Greater London Community in London).

Its primary aim is to support and accelerate the development of the purpose-built, specialist housing market over the next five years to:

• improve the appeal of specialised housing options
• support the supply of affordable specialist homes such as extra care housing
• encourage private sector development into attractive housing opportunities for older and disabled people, and
• improve joined-up working locally across housing, health and social care professionals.

With references to the Housing LIN in several places, the Fund's framework requires successful bidders to showcase details of completed development on our online directory of Department of Health funded schemes, this will ensure that the lessons learned from planning, designing and developing new schemes will be diffused to those at the forefront of improvement in the sector.

Jeremy Porteus, Director of the Housing LIN, stated, "I am delighted that our materials are recognised as key learning tools and our website held as a key information portal for connecting people, exchanging ideas and accessing essential resources on housing with care for the sector. However, the real test is that the new investment secures a marked growth in innovative housing solutions for older and disabled people."