New funding for housing support in Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen is building on its work to tackle homelessness and housing for vulnerable people with new funding from the Government.

A total of nearly £360,000 has been given to the borough to look at improving supported housing to help to provide safe, good quality homes for people that need it most. It will look at nearly 600 units in the borough.

The bid will allow the Council to carry out reviews on housing providers to make sure they meet the standards, making sure the support arrangements are of good quality and deliver the best outcomes for people in the housing.

Blackburn with Darwen, along with the other pilot authorities, will also be able to give valuable insight into supported accommodation which will influence future policy.

The funding comes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In supported housing, accommodation is provided alongside care, support or supervision to help people live as independently as possible in the community.

Supported housing provides homes for some of the most vulnerable people in the country and the vast majority is for older renters.

It also provides a home for people from other vulnerable groups, such as those with support needs or disabilities, those at risk of or with experience of homelessness.

Examples of people who might live in supported housing include:

• • older people with support needs
  • people with a learning disability
  • people with a physical disability
  • autistic people with a support need
  • individuals and families at risk of or who have experienced homelessness
  • people recovering from drug or alcohol dependence
  • people with experience of the criminal justice system
  • young people with a support need (such as care leavers or teenage parents)
  • people with mental ill health

The funding is part of a £3m fund in five key areas – Birmingham, Bristol, Hull, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen – and will run until the end of March 2021, carefully testing different approaches to greater oversight of the sector to improve quality.

Councillor Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

We have a lot of privately run short-term supported accommodation units within the borough so this is much needed investment. It is important for us to work closely with providers to ensure that some of our most vulnerable citizens have somewhere safe to stay whilst receiving the help and support they need. We can share our experiences and expertise to help benefit our residents and the rest of the country.”

Kelly Tolhurst, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing said:

Providing good quality homes to people who have been homeless, or who are unable to live independently, is fundamental to our support for vulnerable people

I know that most supported housing providers already provide a good service and it is right that we expect standards to be high. My statement today sends a strong message to providers that don’t meet our benchmark that they need to shape up.

The pilots we are funding will explore different approaches to supported housing, to further raise the quality of service in Blackburn with Darwen.”