Home and housing

Yes, if you are on a low income, you can claim help with your rent, just as a Council tenant can. You may also claim Council Tax benefit or rebate. For more about Benefits and Welfare rights, see the finance section.

Nationally 8.6% of all priority need decisions for housing are for reasons of mental illness. This is the third largest category, after pregnancy and households with dependent children. This often requires support from both housing & social services. Yet if these departments fail to work together it can leave vulnerable people at a continued risk of homelessness.

A failure to cooperate can be the result of departments being unsure of the roles and responsibilities of others, or of how necessary services can be assessed

Example of a Joint funded service

These are usually staffed by social workers or nurses and are often linked to a Joint Homelessness Team in.

A typical service would undertake:

• Assessment of a homeless applicant's vulnerability.
  
• Assessment of support needs whilst the applicant is in temporary accommodation.
  
• Comments on intentional homelessness.
  
• Assessment to determine appropriate permanent housing.
  
• Reviews of negative decisions on vulnerability when further information comes to light.

 

Floating support -

This is designed to be a relatively short-term package of support, approx 6-12 months.

Main aim is to assist individuals to move into tenancies and to develop and sustain their tenancies.

As independent living skills are established, support is then gradually withdrawn

Supported housing -

Usually provided for up to 2 years but variable according to level of need

Tenancies may consist of individual self-contained units or shared houses with individual bedrooms.

Support delivered same as that for floating support [above].

However difference is that long-term goal in supported housing is for individuals to move on to more independent accommodation.

Referral into a supported housing service within most services needs to be completed by a professional involved your care programme and support need is judged partly on this assessment alongside Occupational therapy assessments, housing assessments done by the voluntary services staff and views of the carers.

Specialist services work closely with RSL's and can offer suitable accommodation, ie basically they are very nice properties which are decorated regularly. Most tenants tend to be exempt from paying council tax as they have a severe mental impairment, this needs to be verified either by the clients GP or consultant. There can be a wide range of differing housing services from Rehab, Intensive supported housing, crisis house, floating support and 24 hours residential service. Support staff usually take on the burden of filling in all of the necessary forms that comes along with moving into a property, they will also get benefit advice to ensure tenants have got maximum benefit entitlement and see if they are not claiming enough! Housing services are usually user led, with a big emphasis placed on the recovery model. Each tenant will have a support plan which gives programmed steps agreed by the tenants for recovery.

Community care

Where the initial screening indicates that the person might have ongoing mental health needs, a broader assessment of needs as required by section 47 National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, would completed.

Referrals

The housing department would refer homeless applicants to the service when they have reason to believe that the person may be vulnerable and in priority need because they have mental health difficulties.

If support needs, due to possible mental illness, becomes apparent whilst an applicant is in interim accommodation s/he may be referred to the service at a later date.

Hospital discharge

People discharged from hospital after being detained under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983, are assessed by the Community Mental Health Team. They would then be referred to the housing service.

Targets

Many services will have targets for making an initial recommendation within 24 days of the applicant's first interview. They may aim to achieve this target for 80% of cases. In the other 20% of cases more time is needed to carry out necessary enquiries.

Model of assessment

Many clients will have had chaotic histories. Sometimes they are of no fixed abode. The service will dedicate the necessary time to finding any evidence of client vulnerability.

• Housing history.
• Medical history.
• Family and social history.
• Employment history.
• Forensic history (i.e. criminal offences)
  
  
  

• The severity and the enduring nature of the applicant's illness, and How it impacts upon the applicant's day to day life.
• Her/his ability to cope with homelessness.
• Assessment of risk.
  Risk is always a determining factor in recommendations. Case law has determined that in assessments of vulnerability it is the 'risk of injury or detriment' to the self, which is critical.
• Risk to others is also considered and can be a significant factor in an assessment.

It should be noted however, that risk to others on its own should not usually warrant a recommendation of vulnerability. This risk would usually be in conjunction with other factors such as a diagnosis of severe personality disorder and institutionalisation. Properly considering all the risk implications is consistent with the guiding principles of the Homelessness Act, in relation to joint working and homelessness prevention. So with high risk clients, the service will work with probation, social and community services, mental health services and the housing department, as appropriate, in order to reduce risks and hopefully prevent future homelessness.

• Recommendations to Housing

Although the service will only make recommendations to inform the housing department's decisions it is rare for recommendations on vulnerability to be overturned.

Those people recommend as not vulnerable are usually:

• Provided with information about other housing advice agencies.

There is also a 'non priority officer' in the housing department who has referral rights to various hostels and other accommodation.
Support needs

• Recommendations as to the type of accommodation needed (whether permanent or temporary)
• Access to support services.
• Referrals to supported accommodation.
• Referrals to resettlement support.
• Recommendation of medical points for housing register
  
  

• Drug projects.
• Community mental health teams.
• Bed & breakfast support team.
• Tenancy support services.
• Ongoing support.

Occasionally a service will carry out ongoing work with clients especially where the person cannot easily be linked in to mainstream services, for example someone who has been an entrenched rough sleeper. The aim is to ensure that the people who are often lost to services are over time able to re-establish links with appropriate support services.

Your local housing office should be able to offer you help in finding a suitable supported housing project in your area. For further information on supported housing contact:


Shelter is Britain's foremost housing charity and offers free telephone advice on housing issues. In addition the website can link you to somewhere local that specialises in housing issues.

Tel: 0808 800 4444
www.shelter.org.uk/


Citizens Advice have a number of bureaux across the country that provide, amongst other, detailed housing advice. Your nearest advice bureau can be found in the yellow pages, or on the Citizens Advice website.
: 0131 558 3450
Fax: 0131 558 5201
Minicom:0131 558 5202
Email:info@dpscotland.org.uk
www.dpscotland.org.uk