PETER WILLIAMS Supporting People Project Manager

3 NEWHAM PARTNERSHIP: SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE  Background to Supporting People  Some background facts and figures.  Some trends on older people’s housing  Where we might go from here.

4 WHAT IS SUPPORTING PEOPLE?  Thousands live in supported housing in Newham  warden, support worker, key worker  somebody around to give some help or support  managing money  filling in forms  advice and counselling  prompting e.g. cooking, taking medication  social activities

5  Support is paid for from the rent  usually from your housing benefit  Government are changing the way the money bit works  At the moment the support is paid out of your Housing Benefit  From April it will be paid to your landlord  Council, housing association or charity

6  From April Newham Council will have contracts with  The Government will pay grant to Newham  Newham will monitor quality and value for money  No existing tenant will be worse off as a result of the April changes

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8 SHELTERED HOUSING IN NEWHAM  433 Council Tenancies  990 Housing Association Tenancies  Not All The Above Have Resident Wardens  116 of above units are extra care, where wardens and other staff provide extra services like a hot meal at lunchtime

9 NEWHAM NETWORK COMMUNITY ALARM  Council Run Call Centre With Mobile Wardens  1483 Council Tenants In Ordinary Council Accommodation Have An Alarm Call Point  Private Clients In Newham  Also Provides Alarms For Some Housing Association Tenants

10 NEWHAM HIA  Home Improvement Agency (Formerly Newham Care And Repair)  Now Part Of The Council’s Housing Department  Targeted Only At Owner Occupiers Who Are Elderly Or Disabled  Assists With Disabled Facitities Grants In Conjunction With Social Services For Major Works  Or Sometimes Smaller Grants For Minor Adaptations To Facilitate Hospital Discharge

11 NEW TYPES OF PROVISION  There are no immediate plans to commission new sheltered housing in the borough in the next year or so.  Housing, Social Services and Health are holding this seminar to discuss the future role of sheltered housing and residential care

12 NEW TYPES OF PROVISION  Refurbishment of existing sheltered housing to bring it up to modern standards is a priority and has been for some years  for example lifts in council sheltered scheme  Sheltered housing for sale: private developers have not found Newham attractive

13 NEW TYPES OF PROVISION  Releasing the equity in a property for elderly owner occupiers, without cash for maintenance and improvement, is a priority and the Housing Department is trying to work up a model for doing this. Care and Repair did it, but not very popular.

14 NEW TYPES OF PROVISION  Elderly tenants of private landlords: are often in the worst conditions (no bathroom, poor repair etc) and the Council is looking to use the Supporting people programme for this group in 2003/2004 and later years

15 NEW TYPES OF PROVISION  Handy Van or Handy Person service: a feasibility study is to be carried out on starting such a service in Newham.  Any tenure can benefit, and it would carry out one- off minor work ( small repairs, putting up shelves, handrails or curtains etc). Labour is free. Pay only for materials.