Written evidence submitted by Mrs Frances Heywood [EXA 079]

What Supported Accommodation should be

This is a short additional submission from a member of the HMO Action Group in Birmingham.

In our main submission we focused on the questions of what is wrong with Exempt Accommodation and suggestions for how the system of providing supported accommodation might be reformed.

I have recently had cause to find out about provision by a charity very near me that is really caring for and supporting its residents but not classifying itself as Exempt Accommodation. I hope it may be useful to members of the Select Committee to contrast this example in terms of value for money with the EA hostels offering little or no support  where a rent per room of £240 per week is paid out of public funds. I hope it will be helpful to see proper housing support described and consider what it should cost.  The senior manager who confirmed the details here was formerly  part of the team brought in to take over (and ultimately  recommend closure of) one of Birmingham’s corrupt EA providers, so he is aware of the deep scandal and haemorrhaging of public money  that is going on.

Case Study: Sutton Coldfield YMCA

The Sutton Coldfield YMCA is an independent self-funding charity. It is not a registered provider and has never applied for Exempt Accommodation status.

Accommodation and support provided.

40 young people aged 16-30 live in the Sutton Coldfield YMCA. They are about half and half male and female, and of all faiths and none. They include care-leavers, homeless young people and young people with other specific needs.  Each young person has a furnished room of their own, mostly with en-suite facilities. They have a fridge, kettle, toaster and micro-wave in their rooms, but there are also four proper kitchens and a breakfast area, where breakfast is served five days per week for those who want it.  There is a large, family-type living room as well as washing and drying areas.  Sheets are washed every week by the domestic staff but the young people are responsible for keeping their own rooms clean. The cost is £105 p.w. which includes all bills and the five breakfasts. This low cost enables those who are working to save towards the cost of future accommodation.

Some of those who arrive, care-leavers especially, have very few daily living skills. The YMCA staff help them with finance, shopping, budgeting and registering with a doctor and much, much more. Mental health difficulties are common, and a mixture of formal and informal input from the staff helps the young people cope and improve. When staff are not present (at weekends, for instance), responsible residents are appointed with means to contact further help if needed.

These young tenants can stay up to two years, and when their time is up, the YMCA uses its network of contacts all over Birmingham to help them find suitable affordable accommodation.  They take care not to place them in Exempt Accommodation or any form of HMO.

How is this paid for?

Where care-leavers are concerned , the rent and a service charge is paid by the local authorities  who place them.

For other young people, the majority receive either full Housing Benefit of around £95, or graduated Housing Benefit if they are in low paid work.  The difference from £105 they pay out of their Universal Credit.

What are the real costs and how are they funded?

The real cost of providing this accommodation with low level support is about £160 per week.

The extra revenue funding needed to pay for support staff comes from grants for which the charity applies, topped up with the resources of Sutton Coldfield YMCA itself.

No profit is sought. The charity seeks to meet the needs of the young people and help them towards independent living. Two leavers recently have been able to secure University places.

Staff are experienced, and recent training sessions (internal and external) have included work with mental health, substance misuse, the impact of gangs  and aspects of social media, positive and negative.

The managers of this accommodation point out that the support they provide is only low-level. If their residents had greater needs, the staffing and support costs would of course be higher

How should EA be reformed and/or replaced as a means of provision?

• I believe the whole idea of Exempt Accommodation should be replaced as soon as possible with a new system that ensures support for residents and ends all profiteering.
• I was privileged a few years ago to be part of a research team looking at how ‘Supporting People ‘ finance was used, just before the ring fence was removed and local authority budgets were cut. These systems were saving lives. There has to be a new source of funding non-housing support for people with serious problems. Re-purposing  a good section of the EA budget might be a place to start.
• In drawing up any new system, advisers should be sort who are sharply cognizant of  the private letting market place and how weak spots in legislation will be spotted and exploited by those who have invested in property in the hope of becoming richer.
• A simple first step would be a clarification from government that the only thing Exempt Accommodation is exempt from is a rent cap . In all other ways, these properties should be subject to every aspect of HMO regulation, including planning permission, inspection and a demonstration that  they are providing housing support that justifies the extra rent.
• There is a fair chance that some providers/landlords will improve their practice in response to good regulation and inspection.
• As an immediate measure, the Housing Regulator should, in consultation with other bona-fide providers like the Sutton Coldfield YMCA, draw up criteria for support that needs to be demonstrable before any applicant to be a registered provider of supported housing can be approved. To qualify for EA they must demonstrate that they are supplying:

     Well-furnished ensuite rooms with bedding, curtains,  satisfactory daylight, heating and ventilation  and means of preparing hot drinks and snacks

     Facilities for laundry without extra charge

     Shared kitchen or kitchens equipped with tools and crockery

     A common room where support staff can meet informally with the residents

     Wi-fi , television and equipment to access the internet

     An outdoor space for relaxation and even gardening

     Proper facilities for waste disposal.

     A programme for each person of weekly help of at least three hours with housing-related life-skills if needed: This to include, budgeting, shopping, cooking, nutrition

     Help with benefits

     Help in knowing how to access help of all kinds, including registration with a GP

     Help in finding training or work

     Help in finding move on accommodation when enough support has been given

These are the extra elements, all under the umbrella of housing support   which might justify some of the extra charges made, though not to the tune of an extra £150 per room per week!

• There also needs to be evidence of staff qualifications and training
• Spot inspections should be  the norm, as broken-down heating systems and permanently non-functioning washing machines  seem to be common.

• Perhaps day-at-a-time occasional independent inspectors could be appointed in every region to assist the hard-pressed staff of the Regulator.

And finally, the question of moving people on raises the question of ‘Where to?’

The YMCA staff think that not nearly enough is done, when new housing is planned, to provide for young people like those they house. This could be extended to include planning for the re-use of existing housing.

Could the members of the Select Committee find a way to address this very important aspect of the problem ?

January 2022