Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

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Supporting people
7.82 ’Supporting People’ is the term the ODPM gave to a diverse programme that encapsulates the
requirements of various partners/stakeholders including social care and health. The primary aim of
the programme is to help vulnerable people to improve their quality of life and to gain and
maintain greater independent living. In 2005/06 the Region received a total Supporting People
grant allocation of £123,000,000 from the ODPM. The individual SP administering authorities,
based at county and unitary level, co-ordinate the investment in supported housing.
7.83 Significant work has already been done in the Region to identify shared needs and priorities.
A jointly funded Regional Coordinator has been appointed to support the Supporting People East
Region Group (SPERG). Cross-authority working has been established and sub-groups have been
set up to investigate the needs of three key groups – Gypsies and Travellers, victims of domestic
violence and ex-offenders. Task groups have been set up to investigate whether regional ways of
working can be established, for example, there has been regional agreement to elements of the
steady state contracts given to providers. SPERG have also jointly commissioned research on
domestic violence services in the Region, which has now been completed, and are linked in to the
sub-regional housing strategies. Key themes that are common to the Region are set out in the
following paragraphs.
Older people
7.84 Supporting People service reviews are revealing the need to change the use of some schemes. This
is especially true for the sheltered housing schemes which are likely to be needed to be remodelled
in order to meet changing aspirations. Many local authorities are already examining their sheltered
housing stock to assess whether they will meet future needs. There is a clear requirement to ensure
that any changes to the need for capital or revenue funding are co-ordinated.
7.85 Research has shown that there will be a large increase in the numbers of older people in the next
few years, ‘Between 1995 and 2025 the number of over 80s will increase by almost 50% and over
90s will double.‘ 30 The Region has identified a need for additional ‘Extra Care Sheltered’
housing which could come from a mixture of remodelling existing sheltered accommodation and
new build.
7.86 There are also issues around older people’s changing housing aspirations. Over seventy percent of
dwellings are now owner occupied in the east region 31 and with the change in tenure comes a
change in attitude. Existing home-owners may choose not to go into rented accommodation
therefore there may be a need for remodelling sheltered accommodation either for other groups
or for use as a community resource. This could be especially useful in rural areas and there would
be the potential for using the accommodation as a base for floating support but this would be
dependent on transport and the sustainability of the scheme. Schemes should reflect cultural
diversity issues.
Vulnerable groups
7.87 Early Government guidance on SP strategies focused the attention of the administering authorities
(County and Unitary) on the needs of groups whose needs have historically not been well met:
people who misuse substances, offenders, and ex-offenders, victims of domestic violence, young
people at risk, teenagers who become pregnant, Gypsies and Travellers and refugees. Improving
and extending services for these groups continues to be a priority.
30 Department of Health, The NHS Plan: The Government’s response to the Royal Commission on long-term Care, July 2000.
31 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, English House Condition Survey 2001 Regional Report, July 2003