Working in supported services is one of the most challenging things you can do, but it's also one of the most rewarding. Despite the well documented funding challenges, teams across the housing sector are transforming lives, preventing crises and helping people find their way back to independence.
That is why Home Group is fully behind the National Housing Federation's campaign for increased funding for supported housing services.
The Federation are being supported by a raft of housing associations, who back their call for urgent funding from Government for supported housing in this year’s autumn budget.
Having spent 15 years at Home Group working in this sector, I know first-hand what a difference it makes when these services are properly resourced.
I came into this work with a background as a youth worker, working with looked after children, and have seen what happens when people don’t have the right support or a stable home to build their lives from. I have also lived in social housing and relied upon it at various points when I grew up, so I understand on a personal level how vital it is to have services that wrap around people, challenge misconceptions and give them a real chance at independence.
When supported services are funded properly – and when we're involved from the start, working with commissioners and local authorities – the results speak for themselves.
Getting people home from hospital
Our STEP model (Sustaining Tenancy, Enabling People) is a case in point. We built it to help tackle a troubling reality: almost one in five patients with mental health conditions cannot leave hospital because they don't have a home to go to. They are clinically ready for discharge, but they're stuck in beds - beds that desperately need to be freed up for others.
STEP is about providing bespoke support to help people return to living safely in the community. This ranges from securing housing and furniture packs to intensive housing management and flexible support packages. The impact is measurable – we've reduced hospital stays by an average of 99 days per customer and saved as much as a saving per person of over £27,000, or a total of £1.5m for the trust.
Take Sean, a 65-year-old man in Northumberland with a diagnosis of psychothymia and delusional disorder. He'd been admitted to hospital in 2012 under the Mental Health Act and remained an inpatient for 10 years. There had been two previous failed discharge attempts due to safety concerns, and Sean was rigid about where he'd live, refusing supported accommodation options. In April 2022, he was referred to our Hospital and Crisis Discharge service. It took patience – Sean initially wouldn't engage and was protective of his daily routine. But our team worked with him, meeting at 8am to fit around his schedule, supporting him with benefits applications and finding him a suitable property he was happy to live in. Since his discharge in July, Sean has coped very well. His mental health is stable, his mood has improved massively, and after a decade, he finally has somewhere to call home.
Supporting people to move on
Meanwhile, our Move On model provides assured shorthold tenancies for up to two years for those who need that bridge into independent living. For customers with support needs, the lack of suitable housing often becomes a vicious cycle – they can't access the care they need because they don't have stable housing, and they can't secure stable housing because of their support needs.
In Hartlepool, we identified this gap and took action, converting 25 three- and four-bedroom properties into 50 one- and two-bedroom homes specifically for Move On customers.
Rob was referred to our Move On service as a teenager, having never held a tenancy before. He suffered from severe social anxiety and complex mental health issues. With our support, Rob's confidence has grown beyond expectations. He completed an apprenticeship with us in Housing Management Level 2, passing with distinction, and is now studying Level 3. He recently got engaged and has built a career with Home Group. It is extremely rewarding when I see Rob now – he is thriving in his role and helping other customers through their journeys.
Investing in young people's futures
Our work with young people in my patch is where I've seen some of the most inspiring transformations.
Tyneside Foyer is one of our most successful homelessness services supporting people aged 16-24 in Newcastle. Another success story comes from Scott, who came to us after months on the street when he was 21. After four years of support at the Foyer, he secured an apprenticeship with Home Group and eventually moved into supported services work. Now he's back at Tyneside Foyer as a Client Services Manager, using his lived experience to connect with the young people we support.
In Durham, where we have been supporting people in the county for 40 years, we've seen brilliant transformations too. These include supporting a number of young people to have gone from sleeping rough and struggling with very complex mental health needs to now thriving in their own homes and living independently.
These aren't isolated cases – they're what happens when services are properly thought out and enable us to work intensively with young people over time.
Care leavers particularly need this kind of support. When placements break down or young people age out of the care system, they need somewhere stable to land and people who understand what they're going through. When a 16-year-old's placement breaks down they often face homelessness, mental health challenges and difficulty accessing education or employment. With the right supported housing, we can change that trajectory entirely.
Making the case
Home Group’s supported services prevent crises, reduce pressure on the NHS and help individuals become contributing members of their communities. The young person sleeping rough today could be managing a service five years from now, if we give them the chance.
The National Housing Federation is right to be campaigning for increased funding. We know how to do this work. We need the resources to do it properly, at the scale that's needed. When I see transformations like these – that's not luck. That's what good supported services can deliver.