Housing LIN Viewpoint 121: Wise words: In conversation to demystify and de-stigmatise – Is this the key that unlocks development potential?

In this Housing LIN Viewpoint (No. 121), Dominic Hailey, Director at Collado Collins Architects, sits down with Claire Wise, Director of Support at MTVH, to explore why new supported housing so often falters.

Claire, who oversees more than 5,500 homes and tenancies across later living, extra care and supported housing, argues that the language used by the sector is part of the problem. Terms such as ‘specialist’ housing, or describing stages of occupancy as ‘emergency’ or ‘temporary’, make provision sound more complicated than general needs housing, add to stigma and deter smaller developers facing a demanding regulatory landscape.

Her answer is to get back to basics. Good supported housing should offer a platform for independence without being so bespoke that it stigmatises residents or becomes unsuitable for the next occupant. She describes a flexible model of small clusters of one-bedroom homes with a communal space that could revert to a dwelling, underpinned by inclusive design principles.

The Viewpoint also highlights MTVH’s work on a pan-London Design Guide for Supported Housing, covering new-build and retrofit, to help stimulate capital funding.