Agenda item

Rupert Bateson (Shelter) and Emily Bird (National Housing Federation) introduced themselves and gave evidence to the committee.

Rupert Bateson (Shelter) spoke. The following key points were noted:

·         Shelter have a lot of experience of helping people in both social housing and the private rented sector. They provide floating support, but also specialist housing and therefore take a keen interest in what housing-related support and advice can best support people with mental health and housing related problems.

·         Shelter have focused much of their housing and mental health work on two areas: maintaining tenancies and helping rough sleepers (who are more likely to have mental health issues) to secure tenancies for the first time.

·         Shelter are interested in developing closer links between mental and general health, and multi-agency responses to people’s needs. Shelter have seen the benefits of linking housing advice to healthcare settings, such as GP surgeries and community health teams.

·         Shelter new ‘Welcome Home Service’ in Birmingham is an example of good multi-agency working. This is a partnership between Shelter and Birmingham Mind focused on people who are in hospital either because of a mental health problem or who have developed a mental health problem while they’ve been in hospital. Specialist staff from both Shelter and Mind are located on site in hospitals, with Mind looking at issues like access to counselling and Shelter looking at problems with landlords, benefits and rent deposits.

·         Shelter’s work as part of the Manchester Advice Alliance is a good example of housing working closely with GPs. The Manchester Advice Alliance includes social housing providers, local Citizens Advice Bureaus, local CCGs, and GPs. It involves an “advice on prescription approach” – instead of handing out leaflets and signposting – where a GP is able to write a prescription for advice based on their conversations in the surgery.

·         The individual can then take their advice prescription to advice agencies, giving them control, and the advice agencies can take into account the recommendations in the prescription. People who have used this service say that they value the ability to access independent agencies, that they feel listened to and understood, and that this in itself can be beneficial.  

·         Shelter run a mortgage debt helpline, which receives contact from a large number of people with mental health problems. They can help people deal with mortgage providers and set up arrangements like debt plans and payment holidays. Shelter have found that most mortgage providers are willing to set up such arrangements to avoid the eviction process.

·         Shelter are currently looking at how to make advice more efficient. There’s evidence that phone advice can be as effective as face-to-face. Phone advice can also provide people with immediate help at crisis stage – although it won’t necessarily be appropriate with more complex problems.

Emily Bird (National Housing Federation) spoke. The following key points were made:

·         Housing associations across the country provide a range of effective interventions for a range of needs, including mental health needs, to help people live more independently and healthily. This includes employment support, tenancy sustainment, floating support, and specialist and supported housing.

·         Nationally, organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of linking up health and housing more strategically – the NHS England Mental Health Taskforce, for example, which encourages local partners to consider how housing can affect people’s health.

·         There’s also a national memorandum of understanding on health and housing which advocates a more strategic approach to housing and mental health working together. The National Housing Federation is supportive of approaches that cut through the barriers of different services and look at person’s needs as a whole.

·         Progress Housing Association in Preston is a good example of housing supporting people with mental health needs. Progress were coming into contact with increasing numbers of people with mental health needs, so developed a number of support services, including financial advice (in partnership local CAB and credit union), employment support services (in partnership with local employers).

·         It’s pretty early stages for health and housing working together, but Emily cited the health and housing memorandum of understanding in Nottingham as a good example of this. This agreement is intended to bring all local partners around the table and establish a shared understanding of local needs, and shared goals.

·         A kitemark scheme for good landlords, with a specific focus on awareness of mental health needs, was to be considered, it could start with larger portfolio landlords, which are more likely to be aware of problems and open to ideas.

·         Emily also noted the importance of supported and specialist housing in helping people live independently and stay out of acute settings. The National Housing Federation is concerned, however, about the potentially devastating scenario for supported housing as a result of benefit changes currently being consulted on by the government. Emily notes that local authorities will, in the future, likely have a big role in continuing to fund these services.

Resolved: the Committee noted the witnesses’ evidence.