Research estimates the scale, scope and cost of the supported housing sector

Ipsos, in partnership with Imogen Blood & Associates and Housing & Support Partnership has been commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Communities and Local Government to develop a robust evidence base on the scale, scope and cost of the supported housing sector.

Supported housing can be described as any housing scheme where housing, support and sometimes care services are provided to help people to live as independently as possible in the community. Supported housing users include those who would otherwise be homeless (including those at risk of domestic abuse); older people and people with disabilities (many of whom would otherwise be living in long-term care or hospital settings).

A programme of quantitative and qualitative research was conducted with Local Authority Housing Benefit teams, supported housing commissioners and providers in conjunction with analysis of a wide range of existing secondary data sources to estimate the scale, scope and cost of the sector. Key findings from the research include:

• The review estimates that at the end of 2015, there were approximately 651,500 accommodation-based supported housing units in Great Britain. The majority of which (85 per cent) are in England, with nine per cent in Scotland and six per cent in Wales.
• An estimated 71 per cent of units across Great Britain accommodate older people; 29 per cent of units accommodate working age people with a very wide range of support needs. Housing associations are the most prevalent landlords, providing 71 per cent of supported housing units.
• The review estimates the annualised cost of the supported housing sector that is covered by Housing Benefit across Great Britain at the end of 2015 at £4.12bn.
• The review also conservatively estimates that the additional annualised spend on support and care services (that is in addition to Housing Benefit spend) at the end of 2015 is around £2.05bn.
• The review identified significant diversification in the way in which local authorities commission supported housing. Since the removal of the ring fence around Supporting People funding in 2009, there is evidence of decreasing funding for support costs in supported housing (particularly in England) from local authorities.
• The regulatory approaches to supported housing are most comprehensive in Scotland in particular and in Wales. The regulatory arrangements in England are less comprehensive relative to Scotland and Wales.
• Qualitative evidence suggests that commissioners and providers have adopted a variety of approaches to demonstrating the value for money and quality of supported housing services.

Downloads

• Download the full report
• Download the computer tables (PDF)

Technical note

Ipsos, Imogen Blood & Associates and Housing & Support Partnership were commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to undertake an evidence review regarding the scale, scope and cost of supported housing across Great Britain. The methodology for this review was developed following extensive scoping in 2015 and included four strands, each drawing on significant sector involvement:

• A survey of all local authority Housing Benefit teams and commissioners of supported housing, using paper, electronic and telephone completion methods, to which 197 local authorities responded between 19 October – 2 December 2015;
• A survey of supported housing providers, using paper and electronic completion methods, receiving a total of 173 responses conducted between 17 February – 9 March 2016
• Qualitative research involving over 200 participants across Great Britain including 54 in-depth interviews and discussion groups with 150 participants including commissioners, providers and sector bodies conducted between March 2015 – February 2016; and
• Validation and calibration of primary survey data with existing data (including from Continuous Recording of Letting and Sales in Social Housing in England (CORE); Elderly Accommodation Counsel and UK Refuges Online among others).