Leicestershire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
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LEICESTERSHIRE JOINT STRATEGIC NEEDS ASSESSMENT HOUSING AND ACCOMODATION NEEDS SEPTEMBER 2009 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.1 KEY MESSAGES...................................................................................... 4 1.2 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 5 1.3 EXISTING MARKETS PATTERNS........................................................... 5 1.4 HOUSING NEED...................................................................................... 6 1.4.1 Affordability.......................................................................................... 6 1.4.2 Rural Areas ......................................................................................... 7 1.4.3 Types and sizes of housing required................................................... 7 1.5 THE EAST MIDLANDS REGIONAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2008 – 2016 .............................................................................................. 8 1.6 SUMMARY PROFILES OF HOUSING MARKET CONDITIONS IN EACH LOCALITY1 .................................................................................... 9 1.7 LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGIES .......................................................... 13 1.8 HOUSING REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS ..................... 13 1.9 THE LEICESTERSHIRE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY ... 13 1.10 ADAPTATIONS AND DISABLED FACILITIES GRANTS (DFGS........ 14 1.11 THE HOUSING SUPPORT NEEDS OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE ....... 14 1.11.1. Delivering the Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy .......................................................................................... 14 1.11.2 The Supporting People programme................................................ 15 1.11.3 The profile of housing support services .......................................... 15 1.11.4 Housing support needs of vulnerable groups ................................. 17 1.11.5 The housing support needs of older people ................................... 17 1.11.6 The housing support needs of people with mental health needs.............................................................................................. 18 1.11.7 The housing support needs of people with learning disabilities....................................................................................... 18 1.11.8 Housing support services for people from black and minority ethnic communities ........................................................... 18 1.12 PRIORITIES FOR THE JSNA............................................................... 19 1.13 REFERENCES...................................................................................... 20 TABLES Table 1: Estimated housing needs for 2021 ....................................................... 8 Table 2: People receiving supported living according to locality....................... 16 Table 3: Ethnicity of people receiving housing support services ...................... 19 FIGURES Figure 1: Outflows from Leicester – first 5,000................................................... 6 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of the housing needs of Leicestershire residents which are presented alongside Leicester City residents’ needs. This is a beginning – it is acknowledged that there is much more work to be carried out on assessment of the housing and accommodation needs of vulnerable people in the County, in conjunction with the district housing authorities in the County. The housing profile of the County shows that there are clear patterns of migration between the County and City dependent on a number of variables which dictate where people can access housing, e.g. income, family size, availability of types of housing. Affordability is a particular issue due to the current increases in property prices and housing costs, either directly related to levels of new development or indirectly through the housing market’s supply and demand forces. Between district and borough councils there are fluctuations within the housing market conditions in each locality. Certain types of property are in high demand in some areas but low demand in others. Property prices tend to be higher in rural and outlying suburban areas and lower closer to city and town centres. Housing tenure varies also, but with most districts having a large owner- occupier base, particularly where there are developments of large executive housing. However, there is disparity between wealthy families and those on low incomes and therefore a need for more affordable smaller properties for purchase or rent, either in the public or private sector, which would also help in the retention of key workers. Local Housing Strategies have identified a number of issues relating to the housing needs of vulnerable people relating to the standard of accommodation, higher demand for adaptations in the private sector, lack of move accommodation and tenancy support, and the increasing need for smaller housing units for and an increase in low level care for older people. Housing has a key role to play in delivering the Leicestershire Sustainable Communities Strategy through the Leicestershire Performance Framework, in particular specific outcomes included in Theme 1: Improved Life chances for Vulnerable People and Places and Theme 3: A safe and attractive place to live and work’. Ways to reduce waiting times for the delivery of adaptations and DFGs are to be addressed to ensure improved outcomes for vulnerable people. Housing support services are currently delivered through the Supporting People programme. With a currently increasingly aging population it is likely there will be an increase in future in both in the numbers of vulnerable people and in the types of service they may require. The highest level of unmet support needs for older people is in the private sector and the current level of sheltered housing is no longer adequate for their needs and expectations. A need for provision of extra housing alongside flexible housing support options is also identified. 3 There is also an insufficient supply of supporting living for people with learning disabilities and with mental health problems. The number of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people accessing housing support services has decreased over the last four years. The reasons for this are not yet known but there are currently only two BME specific services, relating to Travellers and Asian elders. Work on the new housing related support strategy is expected to address this. The current review of the Supporting People Strategy, which is based on needs analysis of current services and on the expected outcomes of the Sustainable Communities Strategy and the Leicestershire Local Area Agreement (LAA2), is expected to be completed by May 2010. Taking account of the priorities in the Local Area Agreement and those identified by district housing authorities, key priorities for the JSNA are: • Maintaining independent living including the provision of more floating support to vulnerable people • Increasing the numbers of people with learning disabilities in settled accommodation • Improving and increasing the range of housing provision available for older people including extra care • Achieving decent homes in the private sectors • Improvements to the delivery of adaptations for older and disabled people • Tackling fuel poverty • Tackling anti-social behaviour and drug activity 1.1 KEY MESSAGES • Affordability issues such as high property prices and lack of suitable housing in rural areas affect the pattern of provision. For example, middle and lower income households who are unable to access housing in expensive and sparsely populated rural areas tend to live in lower cost housing in more urban areas. • Work needs to be carried out on the condition of property occupied by vulnerable people and its suitability for their needs. • District Councils and the County Council need to work together to improve the delivery of adaptations and other services for disabled people. • For older people, unmet support needs are highest for those in the private sector. 4 • There is a need for more extra care provision for older people, including those with mental health needs. • There is a need for more provision for people with learning disabilities and people with mental health needs. • More floating support services are required. • More work is required on the needs of people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups receiving housing support services. • There is a lack of move-on accommodation and tenancy support across all vulnerable people client groups (including older people / people with mental health needs / people with learning disabilities / and people with physical and/or sensory disabilities). 1.2 INTRODUCTION There are clear links to other parts of the JSNA covering client groups who can benefit from secure, decent and in some instances supported housing provision, in particular the sections on: • gypsies and travellers • physical and learning disability. • mental health, • substance misuse (including alcohol) • teenage pregnancy • older people • children and young people aged 16+ 1.3 EXISTING MARKETS PATTERNS The Leicester core area is a typical city centred housing market, which has developed historically and spatially in the same way as many other mature cities. Larger county towns have their own identities and catchment areas 1. Younger, newer and less wealthy households often move to the city while more mature, wealthier families often move to the suburbs