Homeless Link joined the National Housing Federation, the Charered Institute for Housing and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in signing a letter opposing the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) plans to cut the £300m Housing Transformation Fund.
The Government identified the Housing Transformation Fund in its recent Social Care White Paper as a way to integrate housing into health and care strategies. But, in April, DHSC updated its plans, including cutting the full £300m of funding.
The letter, which the NHF sent to the Health Secretary Steve Barclay, stated that the £300m “would have significantly bolstered supported housing’s contribution to the strategic aims and statutory duties of NHS, social care and criminal justice services – boosting outcomes for resident health and well-being."
It went on to state that "supported housing is also vital in reducing homelessness and relieving pressures on health and the criminal justice sector. Supported housing is not only vital to a sustainable social care system, it also makes a substantial contribution in helping people to access primary care and specialist treatment and diagnosis from partner services to maintain their health and well-being.”
Before concluding with: "With demand for supported housing expected to increase by 125,000 homes in under ten years, delivery of the Housing Transformation Fund would have been a vital step towards ensuring that some of the most vulnerable people have the support, access and care they need at home. It would contribute to the delivery of invaluable housing and support for disabled people, homeless people, older people, people with mental health problems, people who have experienced domestic abuse and many others."
