Written evidence submitted by members of the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network [EXA 041]

The Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network is a coalition of national and regional housing associations across the UK providing homes and housing services to over 15,000 people with a learning disability and autistic people. We provide commission based accommodation in a mix of owned and leased properties, some of which receive higher rent under the current exempt accommodation housing benefit regulations.

Members organisations include Ability Housing Association, Advance, Care Housing Association, Dimensions, Elim Housing, Fairoak Housing Association, Golden Lane Housing, Habinteg, Home Group, Irwell Valley Homes, LiveWest, Magenta Living, Onward, Places for People, Progress Housing Group - Progress with Reside, Riverside, and South Yorkshire Housing Association.

• We believe that the majority of supported housing provided by housing associations, including those classified as exempt accommodation under housing benefit regulation are good quality. The issues highlighted in the non-commissioned schemes across some UK cities do not represent most of the provision.
• There is clear evidence of the value for money specialised supported housing for people with a learning disability and autism provides. A report by Mencap in 2018 sets out the clear benefit of this provision and the increasing future demand for accommodation.
• We believe that all future supported accommodation should be commissioned and supported by local or health authorities. 
• We believe that there are strong regulatory arrangements in place for Registered Providers (in terms of both quality and value for money), and the upcoming changes to the regulatory framework around consumer standards (overseen by the Regulator of Social Housing) will support in future regulation.
• Housing Benefit is not the appropriate route for quality control in supported housing. This is not what the regulations were designed to do and it would be unreasonable to expect benefit managers to monitor the quality and value for money of supported housing.
• There should not be different quality oversight purely on the basis on the level of housing benefit that is received by the tenant.

• We would support additional proportionate measures and accreditation for non-registered housing associations with local authority commissioners, recognising the important role charities play in the sector. 
• We are concerned about the unintended consequences of additional oversight or changes purely because of the failures of one part of the sector.
• Many of the issues caused in the sector are a result of poor strategic planning, lack of sufficient capital and uncertainty around housing benefit. Many longstanding housing associations have stopped providing supported housing, including exempt accommodation, because of these issues.
• We set out our calls for action which highlight these points in our Charter launched in 2021 at the National Housing Federation Housing Summit.

January 2022