Local Housing Strategies

1. Local Housing Strategies Jackie Wilkins

2. Local Housing Strategies • Statutory requirement for local authorities to prepare a LHS, supported by an assessment of housing need and demand, and submit to Scottish Ministers • The LHS - sets out the strategic direction for tackling housing need and demand - informs future investment in housing and related services across the local authority area • Local authorities have statutory duty to consult widely on their proposed LHS and engage with equality groups

3. Key changes • New guidance published by the Scottish Government on housing need and demand assessment in March 2008 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/supply-demand/guidance/guidance-info • New guidance published by the Scottish Government and COSLA on Local Housing Strategies in June 2008 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25093503/0

4. Housing Need and Demand Assessment • First time Scottish Government has published guidance on this • Aiming to achieve consistent and robust approach to assessing need and demand across Scotland • Covers both need and demand, including households with specific needs • Encourages local authorities to come together across Housing Market Areas and form Housing Market Partnerships • Forms the evidence base for LHSs and Development Plans

5. Local Housing Strategy Guidance • Sole strategic document on housing and related issues • Covers all tenures, not just affordable housing • New focus on outcomes • New connection to Development Plans, through inclusion of housing supply targets

6. Housing Support Element • Housing support plays a crucial role in ensuring that people can live independently in all types of accommodation and tenures • The LHS is now the place where local authorities are to set out the key strategic direction for the future provision of housing support

7. What the LHS include • A succinct analysis of current and future levels of housing support • Define clear outcomes to be achieved • Describe key approaches to delivering these outcomes, including priorities for service growth

8. What opportunities are presented by inclusion in the LHS? • plans for housing development and investment are not seen in isolation from support services needed to maintain independent living • consider the connections between housing support and other areas covered by the LHS • ensure good alignment with key strategic objectives of other services and think about the role housing support plays in helping meet other outcomes

9. Defining outcomes • Outcomes form a central part of the LHS • Template to complete • Housing Support may have its own outcomes or contribute to the achievement of other outcomes, for example around preventing homelessness

10. LHS Outcome example Outcome: Accessible housing with support for all frail older people and those with disabilities Indicator: Average waiting time for accessible housing and support Baseline: 3 years (2007-08) Target: reduce by x% over 5 years Actions: Develop plan with NHS, Social Work and RSLs to provide more accessible housing and increased housing support - considering the need for greater investment in care and repair, telecare, aids and adaptations as well as specialist supported accommodation Commitments: By local partners, e.g. housing, social work, health and RSLs to develop plan

11. LHS Outcome example Outcome: Potentially homeless households are able to sustain settled accommodation Indicator: Percentage of repeat homelessness applications Baseline: 25% (2007-08) Target: 7% by 2012 Actions: Ensure the provision of housing and related support to vulnerable households to help sustain settled accommodation Commitments: By local partners, e.g. housing, social work and health to work collaboratively to support vulnerable people

12. Experiences so far • Most local authorities are currently undertaking housing need and demand assessments and in early stages of LHS preparation • Many local authorities have found it difficult to assess the needs of specific household groups • Accessing data hasn’t been easy • Engaging colleagues in the assessment hasn’t always been easy • Uncertainty about what Scottish Government expects • SG has produced some additional guidance - highlighting useful data sources - reinforcing the value of qualitative data in informing needs assessment and importance of engaging with equality groups

13. Tips 1. Recognise that the LHS is a key corporate document. It is worth contributing to it. It provides a higher profile for housing support provision. 2. See the LHS as an important management tool – something which will direct and shape the way services develop. It is even more important now that ring fencing has been removed from budgets

14. 3. Contribute to the housing need and demand assessment. If it doesn’t highlight needs and issues comprehensively and accurately then it won’t form a solid evidence base for the Local Housing Strategy. It will be harder to argue the case for housing support later. 4. Get involved in project planning for the LHS – make sure you understand when you’ll have an opportunity to contribute and influence consultation and engagement plans – especially in relation to equality groups.

15. 5. Use this as an opportunity to think about wider strategic issues, for example - whether there’s scope for services to join up more effectively - about extending housing support to new client groups - about charging policies

16. 6. Think about service gaps and priorities for growth. It’s hard to look beyond the immediate and pressing issues of operational delivery, but this is the main chance you have to contribute to strategic thinking on reshaping/reconfiguring services to better meet future needs 7. Keep an eye on the review criteria for the LHS – evidence base, outcomes and actions to deliver these

17. 8. Help and advice is available from the Centre for Housing Market Analysis in relation to needs assessment and from Scottish Government regional staff.