1. Role of housing in helping people stay at home for longer Mary Taylor Housing Policy and Practice Unit University of Stirling September 2009

2. Issues and questions  What do we mean by ‘home’?  What do we mean by ‘housing‘?  Who is ‘housing’?  What ‘housing‘ can contribute?  How to get ‘housing’ involved

3. What do we mean by ‘home’  Place we can be, in private  What we regard as our place to live, somewhere to feel safe and at peace  A place where we want to be, ourselves  A dwelling not an institution Being at home is different and better –from being in ‘A Home’

4. Home could be …

5. At 2008 we had 2.4 million dwellings We regularly add 1% p.a to the existing stock (27,000 in 2008), mostly by private building New homes

6. Where do we live?

7. What do we mean by ‘housing’ Different perceptions  The thing – the house, a form of shelter  The people in a department or service –Usually the public sector  The policy domain –Focus on houses provided by councils  The resources –to achieve public policy goals Perception depends on starting point, what we know already and our focus Changing…

8. Focus of housing policy today 1. Volume and use of resources for investment, –Who builds, who receives subsidy, how much –Management, costs, efficiency, value for money 2. Homelessness –Increasing supply to address shortages –Regulating access of those in need Vs choice 3. Quality of housing - public and private –increasingly on privately owned housing, more services to private owners, and regulation of private operations –Not only social housing and social tenants

9. Who is ‘housing’?  Changing, complex and (maybe) confusing  Used to be simple – all councils –Typically focussed on housing management (letting, rents and repairs of council housing) Some wider services  Providers / landlords include –Councils 26 out of 32 councils still own and manage housing for rent –Housing associations / RSLs Some 200 –different sizes, roles and area coverage –Private landlords Preferred in some areas over social housing leasing arrangements in some areas for temporary housing

10. Who is ‘housing’? Cont’d  All councils have strategic and enabling powers –lately reinforced via Housing etc (Scotland) Act 2006 –NB some duties  All operate differently depending on market, political will, structure & resources –Post-transfer councils no single dept or service called ‘housing’ and relevant services dispersed: Environment, Technical, Community, Social Work, Planning, Revenues –Authorities with housing to rent tend to remain focussed primarily on that role Though ‘Housing’ in Edinburgh covers really extensive range  Changing !

11. Resources for housing  New socially rented housing can be funded by public resources –Primary rationale for regulation  Private funding element challenging in current climate –Obstacle and constraint, for how long?  Landlords have accounts ring-fenced for services to tenants –In principle  Wider council strategic services funded from General Fund –Never enough, even for duties, may get worse –Competition with others

12. What housing can contribute 1. Professional knowledge - of issues around buildings, money and people –Customer service View of users and power relations determined by managing contracts with tenants –Attitudes changing ? relations with customers 2. Access to resources –Subsidised investment for new housing –Funding of adaptations –Easier when tenants But Care and Repair works for everyone –Revenue funds Eg Supporting People

13. How to get ‘housing’ involved  Find out who they are and what they do  Ask! –For input, advice, financial contributions  Ask! –Early  Ask! –Often –Establish and develop relationships –Set expectations