Housing Strategy for
people with disabilities
2013 – 2015
Contents
Foreword
1. Opportunities
2. What have we already achieved?
3. Part of the bigger plan and vision
4. Key issues -why does Oldham need a housing strategy for people with disabilities?
5. Monitoring and Performance
6. Key Contacts
A sustainable strategy
We aim to make this a sustainable strategy in more ways than one. This Strategy is only being
produced electronically, significantly reducing the amount of paper we use and costs to produce it.
Please think before you print out this Strategy.
Foreword from Councillor Dearden, Cabinet Member for Adult
Social Services and Public Health
I am delighted to introduce Oldham’s Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities. This is a
time of major change in how public services are delivered.
In Oldham, we continue to have a growing and increasingly diverse range of people, who
have different needs and expectations. It’s important that we encourage our residents to
exercise choice and make them aware of the opportunities available to them. A particular
challenge will be how we meet the needs of residents whilst ensuring value for money.
I recognise the hard work that all of our partners have undertaken to improve services and
ensure these are relevant to the disabled people of Oldham. We need to plan to meet the
needs of our next generation of disabled people.
We are particularly pleased that partners recognise the value of linking disabled people’s
housing issues with wider health and wellbeing.
For the first time, these issues will be overseen by both the Housing and Health and
Wellbeing boards of the Oldham Partnership.
Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet
Member for Adult Services and Public Health
1
Opportunities
1
Oldham’s disability population projections
1.0
The University of Manchester produced Disability Population Projections based on
census data from 1991 and 2001. The below table outlines a medium variant
projection, which assumes that the percentage of people reporting a limiting long term
illness (LLTI) or disability will continue to increase These population projections should
be used with some degree of caution.
1.1
The projections show an increase in the total projected number of people in Oldham
reporting a LLTI or disability from around 50,630 in 2010 to 59,350 by 2020.
Number of people in Oldham reporting a LLTI or disability
2
Age
2010
2020
Under 20
3,450
4,200
20 to 64
27,560
30,870
65 and over
19,620
24,290
All ages
50,630
59,350
Ensure we are making best use of existing supported accommodation and
related support services
 We need to improve how we plan and improve the supply of the existing
disabled housing across the Borough
 Current move-on arrangements from supported housing is not fluid and very
often takes too long to resolve
 We need to improve data collection and systems to accurately forecast future
demands and trends
 We need to make better use of our supported housing assets to reduce costs
and improve services
 We need to have a clear vision to make informed decisions on
decommissioning and re-commissioning of services
 Communication with partners’ customers and between Council services needs
to be improved.
3
Key local opportunities have been as identified as:
 Maximising the profile of the current accessible housing and adapted property in
the Borough.
 Access to innovative housing prevention and early intervention projects to help
people retain the highest levels of independence for as long as they can.
 Increased housing opportunities for people of all ages to regain abilities or at least
prevent deterioration wherever possible.
 Ensuring that disabled people are supported to remain safe at home, giving them
choice and control over services to meet their unique personal needs
 Maximising opportunities to work with partners, in particular NHS colleagues
where integrating and joining up services adds demonstrable value and improved
outcomes to be current and projected demand for housing for people with
disabilities
 Reducing the reliance on the Council’s (and partners) financial resources
 Increasing the quality and choice of housing providers in the market.
2
What we have already achieved
2.0
We have strong partnerships in place and need to ensure we make best use of these to
improve our delivery. Some examples are outlined below
2.1
Existing housing provision
 There are approximately 4,000 accessible homes already in the affordable rented
housing stock. Each of these homes has been either purpose built or has been
adapted to meet the needs of disabled people.
 There are 54 supported living placements throughout Oldham, owned by
Registered Providers. Placements are made via the care management referral
process and Oldham Council’s vacancy support panel. This service provides a
number of individually driven housing choices, for example independent flats and
accommodation with staff on site or houses and bungalows with 24 hour staff
support.
 In addition, the Council owns a ten bedded mental health assessment property
(Highbarn) for people recovering from long and enduring mental health problems.
 There are 10 flats at (Mill View) which provide intensive rehabilitation for
individuals on the recovery pathway.
 There is also a six flats facility (Poppy fields) which provided intensive support
and rehabilitation for individual
 A five bed property (Willow House) providing respite for individuals with learning
disabilities which completes the current portfolio.
 A Shared Lives scheme is also in place which provides a ‘fostering’ style service
for varying degrees of disability. This service also provides a respite facility and
also ‘Kinship’ support which enables hourly sessional support to individuals within
the community.
2.2
Existing Housing Options Services
 An Easy Read information handbook has been produced, outlining for disabled
customers how they can access equipment, adaptations and re-housing to meet
their needs.
 An Accessible Housing Directory is in development which will list by area of
choice all adapted properties managed by registered providers. This will also
contain turnover data to indicate how often a property type in each area has
historically become available.
 A weekly housing advice surgery for disabled and vulnerable customers has been
launched at the Centre for Independent Living. Delivered by Housing Support
Service, it is intended that this will receive further support from other housing
professionals and from trained disabled peer mentors once established.
 There is a newly created accessible housing register. The most heavily adapted
properties will be offered to those in greatest need in order to make best use of
stock and to generate operational efficiencies. In particular, Category 1
wheelchair accessible properties will go to Category 1 applicants, where one or
more family member is a permanent wheelchair user.
 Those properties with minor adaptations will still often be advertised through the
Choice Based Lettings scheme and earmarked for disabled applicants who will be
encouraged and supported to express an interest (‘bid’) for them.
 The establishment of a specialist re-housing team to support disabled and
vulnerable applicants in securing appropriate accessible housing.
2.3
Equipment and Adaptations
 Developed a working protocol with registered providers to ensure better coordination and partnering is achieved in the processing and ordering of equipment
and adaptations
2.4 Future Provision
 Close working relationships in planning around new build affordable housing has
been achieved. Over the next three years 33 new build fully accessible homes will
be built across the Borough.
3
Part of the bigger plan
3.1
This strategy is amongst a suite of documents which describe the ambitious agenda to
transform the social, physical environment of the Borough. It should be viewed within
the context of the Oldham Plan and the 7th priority, ‘the Oldham Partnership-Turning
words in action’
3.2
This strategy will help focus and engage partners from the private, health and public
sectors on how existing disabled housing provision and housing related support
services can work differently and contribute to public service reform. The strategy will
also inform the the six thematic boards with in the Oldham Partnership of the issues
around disabled housing provision in the borough.
4
Vision
4.1
Our vision for Oldham’s Disabled Housing and Support Service is a high quality service
that uses prevention and early intervention to help people retain the highest levels of
independence for as long as they can. At the same time, we want to ensure that we
support disabled people to remain safe at home, giving them choice and control over
services to meet their unique personal needs. We aim to build self reliance, protect
people’s dignity and enhance their quality of life.
4.2
We want to make sure that people are given information on a level playing field as able
bodied people at the earliest stage to help them make decisions about the help and
support they need. We want to help people regain abilities or at least prevent
deterioration wherever possible.
4.3
Our aim is to enable people to step down from needing high levels of care and
support.
4.4
Where people have substantial and/or critical needs, any help or support should be
provided through use of an individual budget which should be a cash (direct) payment
wherever practicable. Therefore we will be focusing on delivering:
 An improved universal offer to all Adult residents in Oldham
 Early intervention and prevention
 More help to live independently
 Focus on re-ablement and recovery
 Reduced reliance on residential care
 Safe, good quality long term care
4.5
The overall aim is to ensure as many people as possible are able to stay healthy and
actively involved in their communities for longer and delay or avoid the need for
targeted services. This vision is represented in the following diagram.
4.6
We also want to minimise the number of different people involved in delivering an
individuals care and support. This includes closer working with our NHS colleagues
and working well with all the providers who are delivering services.
4.7
Our financial future is heavily dependent on the overall success of our prevention and
re-ablement strategy. If we are successful in our attempts to reduce the numbers of
people who require long term care, we are confident that we will be able to manage the
likely reduction in funding without having to change our eligibility criteria.
4.8
We are consequently taking an ‘invest to save’ approach by identifying new ways of
helping people regain their independence and recover from serious illness without the
need for long term care.
4.9
We already have a well established re-ablement service and plan to develop a longer
term recovery service for those with the most challenging medical conditions such as
stroke, acquired brain injury and serious mental health.
5
Key Issues and why does Oldham need a Disabled Housing
Strategy
5.0
This strategy outlines the actions identified through the consultation process for the
redesign work we are undertaking to make our disabled housing services modern,
responsive and efficient. It is also the basis for exploring further partnerships and
collaborative working where this adds value and delivers required benefits.
5.1
Key Issue One: Improving access to the most suitable housing and housing
support services we provide and develop the range of housing options open to
disabled people
Key Actions:
 Complete a feasibility report on developing specialist support within the One Point
Housing Options & Advice Service for disabled and vulnerable applicants to
source appropriate information on housing options and access social housing
 Develop joint working (assessment and information sharing) between care
management and One Point Housing Options & Advice Service, , to enable clients
in supported-living seeking accommodation with the social housing sector to
register and receive support to secure suitable accommodation via Choice Based
Lettings.
 Develop information in appropriate paper and on-line formats to help support
choice for disabled people
 Develop the housing advice surgery for disabled people at the CIL
 Explore other housing options for disabled people – the 7 ways including home
ownership
 Reduce number of supported living Properties( particularly ones that are not fit for
purpose)
 Develop Extra care housing type of model for Adults with moderate/ high need
5.2
Key Issue Two: Improve our understanding of the housing and support needs
and aspirations of disabled people
A lack of strategic planning in the past around disability housing issues, has led to the
development of a users group, which has helped shape this strategy and better
understand the support and aspirations of disabled people in Oldham.
Key Actions:
 Develop a clear understanding of how current housing and support supply is likely to
meet any identified current and future need.
 Consider the issues of minimum standards in Private sector accommodation.
 A clear plan to maximise resources and value for money approaches for investment
in new and existing housing and related support
5.3 Key Issue Three: Improve the supply of lifetime homes and maximise best use of
the current adapted housing stock
The Oldham Housing Investment Partnership (OHIP) comprises 9 registered housing
providers and Oldham Council and works as a partnership to deliver several strategic
projects across the whole social housing sector.
The OHIP Accessible Housing Project was established to map and make best use of
properties which are accessible to or adapted for the needs of disabled tenants. There
are approx 4,000 accessible / adapted properties in the borough and 180 households
registered in need of such properties.
Key Action:
 We will continue to work closely with planning teams and registered housing
providers to make sure that we can continue to build on the 33 new build accessible
homes already in the pipeline.
 Making best use of existing adapted properties by ensuring that these are matched to
people in most need who have been waiting longest as they become available.
6
How we consulted people
6.0
Specific consultation
6.1
There were specific consultation events held with a wide range of stakeholders
through a range of methods including several customer focus group events with
disabled people and their carers
6.2
A workshop event was also held with adult services involved in the delivery of
services to disabled people to identify any gaps
6.3
Issues that arose through the consultation included an identified need to : Reduce costs through commissioning and delivering services differently
 Listen to the aspirations of disabled people and their families and communicate
options to them
 Offer disabled people the same housing choices as everyone else
 Create inclusive communities / mixed economy housing
 Work pro-actively to address the needs of the future population
 Increase partnership working to maximise customer choice and make the best
use of resources
 Ensure empowerment to equip disabled people with the knowledge and skills to
‘do things for themselves’ (be able to exercise choice and access peer mentors)
 Make sure that affordable and quality housing that is future proofed.
7
Monitoring and Performance
7.1
How we will monitor performance
7.2
We recognise the importance of ensuring that we manage and monitor our
performance in relation to our targets.
7.3
The delivery plan will be monitored by the core steering group of representatives of the
main partners including Oldham Council, Oldham PCT and OHIP. Meetings of the core
group will take place at the end of each quarter, where delivery review of the actions
within that quarter will take place. The results of this will then form part of the Adult
Services Corporate quarterly update. Annually overall progress will be reported to the
Oldham Strategic Housing Board and the Oldham Health and Wellbeing Board.
7.4
How we will share our achievements with Oldham residents
7.5
It is important to share our progress and successes with Oldham residents and
partners. Achievements will be cascaded to residents as part of the communications
plan through various methods including; the enhanced housing options service, the
new dedicated web-pages, resident’s magazines and district partnership plans where
appropriate.
8 Contacts
8.0
Contacts
8.1
Adults Care Team
June Rainford
Tel: 0161 770 8744
Email: [email protected]
8.2
Partners and agency websites
 Oldham Council Oldham Council
 Oldham Partnership Oldham Partnership
 Oldham Housing Investment Partnership OHIP
 Oldham National Health Service Oldham Primary Care Trust