Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

HOUSING AND ACCOMODATION NEEDS

September 2009

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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 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 – 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 or smaller towns. This pattern results in a typical ‘escalator’ model of migrations, reinforced by the availability of different types of housing within and outside the city and main towns, which means that families often have to move out of the city to get the kind of homes that they want. It is demonstrated by the first 5,000 movers into Leicester City coming from twelve other Local Authority areas compared to the same number moving out of the city to just four immediately adjacent districts. Flows into Leicester city are from many other areas, while flows out are mainly into the suburban areas.

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Figure 1: Outflows from Leicester – first 5,000

Source: Leicester & Leicestershire Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2008 (B. Line Housing Information Ltd)

These migration patterns are confirmed by the pattern of most prevalent household types, with central and city areas housing more single people, whereas outer areas generally tend to house couples with children.

An added dimension to the Leicester urban area housing market is the Asian population, who have historically lived mainly in the smaller terraced housing areas in east central Leicester. More recent trends have highlighted that wealthier Asian families are increasingly integrating into the wider area and moving to nearby suburbs such as , and Thurnby. This trend is confirmed by recent schools Census data, which shows increased clustering of Black and Minority Ethnic pupils mainly on the east side of the urban area.

1.4 HOUSING NEED 1.4.1 Affordability There is extensive housing need due to problems of affordability caused by high property prices and housing costs, as in most parts of the UK. Using a version of the ‘Bramley’2 housing needs model developed for the study and with input assumptions agreed by the Strategic Housing Market Assessment1 (SHMA) steering group, the total extent of need for additional affordable units above current supply levels is estimated at some 2,700 a year. This would constitute some 68% of new supply in the currently proposed Regional Spatial Strategy building targets, and give local authority figures ranging from 38% to over 200% of new supply. The level of affordable housing is not directly related to or dependent on the level of new development, although there may be indirect

6 links through market supply/demand and pricing effects. Percentage figures are given to illustrate the estimated level of need as a proportion of this intended new supply, but these are not and clearly cannot all be target figures for the proportion of affordable housing to be sought.

1.4.2 Rural Areas Housing need is high in most rural areas due to the pressures of outward migrations by wealthier households pushing up prices in villages. Using conservative input assumptions the needs model suggests that some 250 additional affordable homes per year are currently needed in the rural areas. The extent of estimated need in all areas now means that the proportion of affordable housing actually sought in policy must be more dependent on specific local factors of land availability, site viability, the extent and type of other new supply, and longer term policy aims to encourage better balanced and more functional housing markets, local ‘housing ladders, and mixed communities.

1.4.3 Types and sizes of housing required The main demographic trends are:-

• People living longer • Increasing numbers of smaller households, many of them older people • More cohabiting couples having families later • More older ‘empty nesters’ left in family housing • More ‘non nuclear’ family households and different living arrangements

The Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic Housing Market Assessment takes into account current housing circumstance and market position in judging the kind of housing that the projected numbers of households of different types and ages are likely to aspire to and accept. This allows an assessment of the ‘optimum shape’ of the future housing market at different points in time, which are the general ‘targets’ towards which the combined mix of new developments and existing stock should progress.

The whole housing market estimated optimised shape for 2021 is as shown in Table 1.

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Table 1: Estimated housing needs for 2021 Property size Property type No. % of total households 1 bed General Needs flat 17,550 4 2 bed General Needs flats or 105,753 25 houses 3 bed General Needs flats 12,665 3 3 bed & larger - General Needs houses 162,281 36 4 bed 4 bed Multi person General Needs 6,637 1 flat/houses 2 bed Older persons flat/bungalow 113,580 25 sheltered / supported 22,863 5 Source: Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2007/8 (Dec 2008)

1.5 THE REGIONAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2008 – 2016 The East Midlands Regional Housing Strategy 2008-2016 has outlined an agreement (in its chapter on housing for vulnerable people):

To improve the co-ordination of provision which meets the housing needs of vulnerable people (Policy 18) 3

This is to be achieved through the following actions; a) Improvement of the evidence base – the Regional Housing Group is working with the Regional Supporting People Implementation Group to jointly commission the necessary research and strategy development to be incorporated into a future Regional Housing Strategy revision. b) Identify the potential for linkages between the Supporting People regional programme and practical action being developed at sub-regional level. c) Encourage Local Authorities to develop cross-boundary arrangements for move-on accommodation, improving co-ordination to add value to existing provision, and taking into consideration the Communities and Local Government (CLG) / Homeless Link Move on Plans Protocol (MoPP). d) Review recommendations arising from Disabled Facilities Grant research and consider the potential role of the East Midlands Improvement Partnership (EMIP) in addressing the challenges identified. e) Encourage local agencies to map and make better use of already adapted dwellings. f) Local partners developing effective partnership arrangements to improve strategic planning and service commissioning in relation to Disabled Facilities Grants.

8 1.6 SUMMARY PROFILES OF HOUSING MARKET CONDITIONS IN EACH LOCALITY1

Blaby District Council covers a 50 square mile area in South West Leicestershire. The north of the area is largely urban bordering the City of Leicester but becomes more rural in the south.

Blaby has a population of 92,500, which is expected to rise, the most significant increases are in those aged 50 and over who are projected to increase by 37.5% by 2030, with the oldest group (over 85) expected to increase by 128.6%. Over the same period the 30-50 age group is expected to decrease by 6.5%

Other households with support needs represent 11.5% (4,206) of the total housing stock with physical disabled frail elderly and mental health being the highest categories with vulnerable young people and children leaving care showing only 0.8% of the total households with support needs and only 1.3% of the total household population of Blaby.

Nearly 8% of the population comprises black and minority ethnic people. This is comparable with the county at just over 7% and the East Midlands of nearly 9%. The largest ethnic group is the Indian population comprising nearly 3.5% of the population Gypsies and Travellers are, however, an increasingly important group in the area.

There are a high proportion of owner-occupiers with over 87% of households in this tenure compared to a national figure of 70% less than 8% of the households rent from social housing landlords and less than 5% of households rent from private landlords

The average house price in the District was £156,796 (Average House Price Index from CACI Street Value Database, March 2006), however, this is likely to have reduced in the current economic climate. At present, mortgage repossessions are rising; the Council of Mortgage Lenders said in 2007 that mortgage repossessions increased by 65% in 2006 (across the country), the increasing effect of the economic uncertainty is that these levels of repossessions will continue to rise year on year.

Charnwood Borough Council Charnwood is a mostly rural area with several larger diverse urban settlements.

Loughborough and house more of the less affluent and smaller households, whereas the wider area is largely home to more wealthy families or executives.

Most households in Charnwood are White British. There is a very strong Bangladeshi community on the East side of and a significant proportion of the overall population is Indian, though this community tends to be less concentrated in localities.

9 Owner occupied 3 bed semi detached housing is the most common type in Charnwood. There is a notably large patch of private housing in the centre of Loughborough that is probably related to the student population. Student numbers in Loughborough are highly significant and the University is working with Charnwood Borough Council towards managing the need for student housing and the prevention of ‘studentification’.

Property prices have risen fairly steeply overall in the last 5 years and the increase in price has not yet been significantly affected by wider market fluctuations. Lower quartile house prices are between £100,000 and £120,000. Flat prices are significantly lower.

Most sales are of semi detached houses though sales of other houses account for a significant proportion overall. Bradgate Country Park attaches a high premium to nearby housing and rural (village) housing is also typically expensive in relation to the more urban areas.

Harborough District Council is mostly rural with a few small settlements. is the only part of the district which is classified as ‘urban’. Data on Market Harborough generally suggests a pattern of lower income households in the middle (especially single people/pensioners) and wealthier households around the outer suburbs.

Most pupils (and households) in Harborough are White British. The largest ethnic minority groups are ‘Other White’ and ‘Asian/Asian British Indian’.

Comparatively Market Harborough has a fair mix of property types, with a particularly significant number of 2 bed flats around the town centre. Most property in Harborough is owner occupied, and Market Harborough has a larger proportion of affordable housing (20%) compared to the rest of the district, and also above the average proportion of intermediate (shared ownership) housing.

House prices are particularly high across the Harborough district, reflecting the general trend for rural areas across the UK. Prices tend to be lower closer to the more built up areas.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Bosworth is a mostly rural area. The main settlements, Hinckley, Barwell, and , are fairly different . Using Output Area Classifications to gain a general view suggests that Hinckley contains more higher income households and Earl Shilton is relatively more working class, but these are generalisations and cover a substantial variety.

Most of the children of school age in the main settlements are White British. The largest ethnic minority groups are ‘Other White’ and ‘Asian/British Indian’.

Properties in the main settlements are mainly owner occupied 3 bed houses, though there are significant numbers of both 2 bed flats and houses. There is very little private rented property (though this is likely to have increased since 2001) throughout the borough.

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Lower quartile prices for 2 bed flats, 2 bed houses and 3 bed houses start at around £100,000 and then go up by around £10,000 and then £20,000 respectively. There is a very large gap between lower quartile prices for 3 and 4 bed property. Most sales are of semi detached and detached houses. Prices are generally lower around the more built up areas and much higher around the most rural settlements.

Melton Borough Melton Borough is particularly susceptible to an outward, generalised impression of wealth when looking at average incomes or house prices. In fact, this disguises a significant number of lower income households who are highly likely to need assistance in the local housing market.

In some of the rural areas privately rented housing exists as an intermediate form of affordable housing, often with links to large landed estates within the borough.

Melton Borough is a largely rural area and. Local people are at risk of being priced out of owner occupation in rural areas because of over development of large, executive houses marketed at a high premium to wealthy commuters. There is evidence of erosion of the local economies in rural centres due to lack of use, made worse by service providers such as shop workers, cleaners, and traders being unable to afford to live in the area. There is an undersupply of suitable smaller sized dwellings for shrinking households, exacerbating under-occupation and tying up larger family houses. There is a risk of some polarisation of communities due to middle and lower income households being unable to access housing in the most expensive and sparsely populated rural areas. There is strong evidence of geographical splits relating to housing and income in Asfordby and Long Clawson, where wealthy people live on one side, and poorer people on the other. The lack of supply in rural areas may also result in increased pressure on the housing market, as people may try to access housing there rather than move away from the borough altogether. Controls need to be established to protect the borough (particularly the smaller rural settlements) from over development of large executive housing, and to encourage a balanced supply of suitable family housing (for middle and lower incomes), as well as housing for smaller households (both starter homes and for downsizing). Care must be taken with the design of new provision to ensure that the homes provided will be appropriate and desirable for their target markets – there is mounting evidence that if housing is inappropriate, undersized or overpriced it will remain empty. This is particularly true of new build identikit apartments in urban centres, but the relative indications about misreading the market should be well noted when planning any new development

The planned urban extension for Melton Mowbray will provide the opportunity for an increase in housing including affordable provision, which will require careful planning and especially awareness of other growth points which will

11 compete with it, and phasing so that there is no oversupply in any size, type or tenure, which is more possible in a smaller and more separated settlement.

North West Leicestershire District Council Different settlements in North West Leicestershire have very different overall characteristics, with a fairly distinctive division of wealth – Ashby de la Zouch attracts wealthier households while houses more blue collar households. The majority of the district is rural.

All settlements in North West Leicestershire are popular among families, and Ashby de la Zouch in particular is popular among ‘wealthy executives’. There is also a large elderly population across the district.

The majority of households in North West Leicestershire are White British. There is no dominant ethnic minority group.

Though detached housing is the most common property type overall in the district, there is a concentrated patch of terraced housing in Coalville as well as a significant number of flats. There is very little privately rented accommodation.

Two bedroom flats have been competing in price with two bed houses in North West Leicestershire, though their price is far less stable. There is a very large discrepancy (around £70,000) between the entry level for three and four bed houses. Prices are lower around the more urban areas, particularly Coalville and Ibstock. There is also a low average in which appears to have less of an influence on the price of properties in the nearby rural area.

Oadby and Borough Council comprises of three urban settlements, which border onto the South Eastern suburbs of Leicester City. The borough is a popular place to live, with Oadby being seen as a more affluent area. There is a large amount of family housing across the area, though the central areas of Oadby and Wigston are more mixed. Income levels and property prices in South Wigston are lower than in other parts of the Borough, although this is masked overall by greater affluence elsewhere in the Borough.

There are quite high numbers of Indian and Asian pupils in the borough, particularly in the Oadby area, supporting the suggestion from other data that Oadby is popular among these ethnic groups. Wigston, though mixed, has predominantly white British pupils.

The majority of the borough contains owner-occupied houses, and detached houses are particularly common on the North-East side. There is little privately rented housing, with a lower than average proportion of social housing.

Lower quartile prices start at around £100,000 for the cheapest properties (as at June 2007). There are very clear price differentials between different areas of the borough, in particular there is a marked difference between prices in Oadby and South Wigston

12 1.7 LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGIES Local housing strategies across the county have identified the following issues affecting the housing needs of vulnerable people:

• A need to identify non-decent homes occupied by vulnerable people • Higher demand for disabled adaptations to homes in the private sector • Unsuitable housing due to special needs / mobility needs • An increased need for smaller units of accommodation to meet the national trend of an increasing proportion of older households • A lack of move-on accommodation and tenancy support

1.8 HOUSING REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS An analysis of local housing strategies covering the housing requirements of a range of different groups identifies the following priorities:

• Provision of lower levels of care for older people will need to increase by some 50% in the county and by around 25% in the city, if the projected demographic changes occur.

• Resources and policies that help owner occupiers to meet their needs as they grow older will be required, or in some cases to create conditions and incentives to assist them to move to tenures and forms of housing which best meet their needs.

• There is an estimated need, detailed within the Leicester & Leicestershire Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2008, for around 150 additional special and adapted units. This is to meet the rising special housing needs from the younger population.

• There appears to be an oversupply of student housing compared to immediate and short term demand, and a danger that less attractive units and marginal private lets will be left empty.

• The number of people being accepted as homeless has reduced over recent years, mainly due to new homelessness strategies which focus on prevention policies such as early intervention, mediation and access to appropriate advice and support e.g. on claiming the correct benefits.

1.9 THE LEICESTERSHIRE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY Housing is one of the key areas of the Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy, under the theme ‘A safe and attractive place to live and work’ with two of the sub outcomes: o The housing needs of the people of Leicestershire are met (NI 155 - Number of affordable homes delivered (gross) is a priority target).

13 o New developments are built to higher design, security and environmental standards and better supported by service and infrastructure

1.10 ADAPTATIONS AND DISABLED FACILITIES GRANTS (DFGS The Disabled Facilities Grants programme provides mandatory grants for housing adaptations to help older and disabled people to live independently. In Leicestershire these grants are administered by district councils who fund adaptations recommended by County Council occupational therapy staff, following an assessment of need.

The arrangements for Disabled Facilities Grants apply across all tenures. However, in Leicestershire adaptations to Council and housing association properties are usually funded by the landlord. Locally any adaptation work costing less than £1,000 is treated as a minor adaptation and is funded by the County Council. The County Council also has a statutory duty under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (1970) to provide adaptations, which in practice extends only to cases where full cost of the work required is not covered by the Disabled Facilities Grant, or where the applicant cannot afford to pay the assessed charge.

More recently, work to improve the delivery of Disabled Facilities Grants and council housing adaptations to improve outcomes for vulnerable people is being addressed.

1.11 THE HOUSING SUPPORT NEEDS OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE 1.11.1. Delivering the Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy ‘Improved life chances for vulnerable people and places’ is one of the seven themes of the Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy4. This incorporates the outcome of ‘Improved life chances for individuals and families’ and ‘Improving the lives of offenders so they are less likely to offend’. Both of these outcomes are linked to Public Service Agreement 16 (PSA16).

PSA16 aims to:

Increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training.

The indicator is directly supported by eight national indicators, one of which, NI 145 (Adults with learning disabilities in settled accommodation) is a priority indicator in the Leicestershire LAA. Five other priority indicators in this the, area also aligned to PSA 16:

• NI 18: Adult re-offending rates for those under probation supervision • NI 63: Stability of placements of looked after children: length of placement • NI 142: Percentage of vulnerable people who are supported to maintain independent living • NI 152: Working age people on out of work benefits

14 • NI 117: 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

Providing secure housing and helping people to achieve and maintain independence is key to improving people’s life chances and work must continue towards achieving improvements in the delivery of housing and support services in these areas.

1.11.2 The Supporting People programme The Supporting People Programme was developed in 2003 to provide a framework for the planning and delivery of housing support services for vulnerable people - to enable them to remain or achieve independence. A Supporting People Strategy5 supports the programme in Leicestershire; provides an analysis of identified need and outlines priorities for meeting this need.

Current priorities outlined in the Supporting People Strategy for housing support in Leicestershire include:

• Generic provision for younger people (including care leavers, young people at risk of offending or re-offending, teenage parents, younger people with drug problems, younger single homeless people with support needs and younger people with mental health needs). • Offenders and mentally disordered offenders. • Older and frail older people with support needs - in respect of extra care, floating support, assistive technology and Home Improvement Agency services. • People with learning disabilities.

Work is being carried out on a new five year strategy to meet the needs of people requiring support to live as independently as possible. The strategy, which will reflect priorities in the Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement, is scheduled to be completed by May 2010.

1.11.3 The profile of housing support services The large majority of people receiving supporting living services are older people (9,160). As the number of people aged 65 and over increases it can be expected that the demand for housing support services will also increase. In terms of locality, Charnwood has the greatest number of people receiving these services, reflecting the large population size of Charnwood (see chapter 1 – demographics for further details). Table 2 provides a further breakdown of the type of person receiving support services.

15 Table 2: People receiving supported living according to locality Hinckley North West Oadby & Blaby Charnwood Harborough & County Melton Total Leicestershire Wigston Bosworth Homeless 0 18 0 12 0 15 0 56 101

Older people 1463 2350 1052 1690 136 747 1306 416 9160

People with a Physical/Sensory 1 0 0 1 4 0 6 0 12 Disability

People with Drug Problems 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 13

People with Learning Disabilities 10 25 14 19 10 4 11 21 114

People with Mental Health Problems 39 40 18 8 7 18 12 142

Teenage Parents 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 16

Traveller 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40

Other 0 118 10 20 56 18 35 0 257

Total 1553 2591 1094 1750 206 801 1376 505 9876 Source: Supporting People Local System

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1.11.4 Housing support needs of vulnerable groups Local housing strategies have identified the following in relation to housing support needs:

• Lack of floating support generally across all vulnerable groups. • Improved access to advice and information to support individuals’ decision making. • An increase in the number of older single people with mental health needs, and frail older people. • The need for the development of older people housing strategies to promote independence. • Increasing housing choice for older people through reconfiguration of sheltered housing and extra care schemes which will also address the issue of increasing care and support needs of older people (aged 80+). • Lack of accommodation and floating support specifically for people with learning disabilities.

1.11.5 The housing support needs of older people The Housing and Support for Older People Project Report6 found that the highest level of unmet support needs for older people are in the private sector. This was a very key factor coming out of all of the surveys.

Another key finding is the sheer volume of informal care and support networks in place for older people. These networks keep substantial numbers of older people out of the statutory services. Without such informal care and support networks, pressures on the statutory sector would be much worse.

Housing needs surveys demonstrate a poor fit between the housing needs of older people and the available provision of housing designated for older people. Available sheltered housing as it currently exists no longer meets the demands or expectations of older people. Whilst the figures equate in terms of numbers, there is a mismatch between availability and demands. Older people now expect more in terms of space standards and having self-contained facilities than they once did.

There are issues around meeting the decent homes standard in some sheltered accommodation because of the physical design of some schemes.

In order to address the potential increased demand for housing support amongst older people the ‘Housing and Support for Older People’ project identified:

• A need to develop longer term strategies to address the use of difficult to let sheltered housing stock, including the potential for schemes to be re- designated as extra care.

• The need to develop joint strategic plans to increase the provision of extra care housing in the County, together with flexible housing support options that are needs led.

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1.11.6 The housing support needs of people with mental health needs The current supply of supported living for people with mental health needs cannot meet demand across all scheme types and there are currently people placed in residential care for who supported living arrangements would be appropriate but are unable to move due to a lack of supply.

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust estimate a current need of 103 units of support per annum and a predicted need of 82 units per annum.

There are particular needs around the provision of 7:

• Floating / visiting support services which can support people in their own home (particularly for people with high support needs) • Self contained accommodation with support • A range of supported living schemes including those for people already living in the community • The development of service models to support people with Aspergers Syndrome

1.11.7 The housing support needs of people with learning disabilities This is a key area of work for the County, as one of the priority indicators in the Leicestershire Local Area Agreement is national indicator 145 (Adults with learning disabilities in settled accommodation.

Supported living for people with learning disabilities in the County has developed primarily outside of the Supporting People Programme due to funding constraints. Needs information however, suggests an ongoing requirement for supported living, with a target to provide 20 additional placements over each of the next three years.

1.11.8 Housing support services for people from black and minority ethnic communities Table 3 below shows the ethnic breakdown of people accessing housing support services. The table compares percentages accessing services during the first year of the Supporting People Programme and during the last full year for which figures are available.

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Table 3: Ethnicity of people receiving housing support services Ethnicity Census 2001 Client records Client records % 2003/04 (%) 2007/08 White 94.7 85.12 91.25 Mixed 0.8 2.46 2.28 Asian 3.7 4.91 3.04 Black 0.3 4.45 2.66 Chinese and 0.3 1.53 0.38 other Refused/missing - 1.53 0.38 Note: excludes sheltered housing for older people

Source: Supporting People Client Record Form returns (Centre for Housing Research) Census 2001 (ONS)

This comparison highlights that some changes have taken place over time, and that recipients of housing support services are more ethnically diverse than the population as a whole. In contrast, the supply of Black and Minority Ethnic specific services is limited (with only two services in place for Travellers and Asian elders respectively).

1.12 PRIORITIES FOR THE JSNA There are many areas in housing which can contribute to the health and well being of the population. District councils recognise the top priorities as follows:

• Housing and older people • Achieving decent homes in the private sector • The provision of more floating support to vulnerable people • Tackling fuel poverty, anti-social behaviour and drug activity • Housing adaptations for disabled people

Other areas of priority identified by District councils include:

• Affordable Housing • Making use of empty homes • Homelessness prevention especially amongst younger people • Housing for people with mental health needs • Debt advice • Tackling worklessness • Encouraging benefits take up • Tackling domestic violence • Accreditation for landlords and tenants

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1.13 REFERENCES

1 Line, B., Golland, A., Lavis, J., Doran, D., Brown, T., Turkington, R. Leicester and Leicestershire strategic housing market assessment. [Online] 2007/08. Available from URL: http://www.lsr- online.org/reports/leicester_and_leicestershire_strategic_housing_market_asse ssment

2 Bramley, G., Kofi Karley, N., and Watkins, D. Local housing need and affordability model for Scotland – update 2004. School of the Built Environment, Herriot-Watt University. 2004.

3 East Midlands Regional Assembly (2008) East Midlands Regional Housing Strategy 2008-2016, Managing Growth, Managing Change, East Midlands Regional Assembly.

4 Leicestershire Sustainable Community Strategy (2005), Leicestershire Together.

5 Supporting People Strategy (2005-2010) (2005) Leicestershire Supporting People, Leicestershire County Council.

6 Millington, M. Housing and support for older people end of project report. Leicestershire County Council. 2007.

7 Leicestershire County Council (2009) Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Supported Living Strategy for Mental Health 2009-2013, Leicestershire County Council.

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