The Vale Assisted Tenancy Scheme (VATS) is managed by the Councils Housing Advice and Homelessness Team; the scheme works with landlords to provide good quality housing options for single people and families at risk of homelessness, therefore contributing to the prevention of homelessness.
VATS offers a wider choice of housing options to clients who are financially unable to secure a stable private rented accommodation or who may have a low priority for social housing. The scheme also helps to reduce the use of temporary accommodation, as clients are able to find suitable accommodation more quickly. Financial assistance can be provided to the client to assist them to secure accommodation, either by way of a bond or first month rent in advance.
The scheme works with Environmental Health and landlords to ensure the homes offered are of good quality and meet a certain standard. The Council Housing Benefit section offer direct benefit payments to landlords who let their properties via VATS, minimising the risk of rent arrears.
The scheme provides a good service to clients and landlords; clients are able to access good quality, affordable housing options. Letting agents and landlords are provided with on-going support and advice, ensuring tenancies are managed and sustained, direct payment of Housing Benefit is also valued by landlords.
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NDEPENDENT LYSupporting People
Supporting People (SP) is a national programme which funds housing related support services which aim to prevent homelessness, enable vulnerable adults to live as independently as possible, to reduce the burden on statutory services, such as homelessness, prevent and address housing issues as early as possible and reduce the need for statutory, more costly services.
The SP Programme in the Vale of Glamorgan is delivered in partnership between the Council and support providers. The Council recognise that housing related support is critical in aiding tenants and residents to sustain their current home and prevent homelessness.
The Council is responsible for planning, commissioning and monitoring housing related support services. The Supporting People Team administer £3.6 million per year and monitor all contracts on a three year rolling basis, ensuring services are strategically relevant, offer value for money and are customer lead and outcome focused. Support providers are commissioned to deliver a range of support services to meet the needs of a number of client groups, these include:
Housing Related Support Services
Direct access accommodation, including hostels and domestic abuse refuges Shared temporary accommodation
Supported housing Sheltered housing Floating support
Homeless preventative work and crisis intervention Low level and ongoing support
Community alarm services
Client Groups People experiencing domestic abuse
People with a learning disability, physical/sensory disability, development disorders or a limiting long term condition.
People with mental health or substance misuse issues. People who are homeless or potentially homeless
People with an offending history and those at risk of offending Care leavers and 16-24 years olds with support needs
Older people (over 55 years of age) Families with support needs
The Supporting People Programme in the Vale of Glamorgan is successful and valued by service users: In excess of 2500 service users are supported every week.
Outcome monitoring shows that all service users supported make progress in at least one priority area16.
95% of services users were happy with the support they received16.
The supply and demand for housing related support services in the Vale of Glamorgan are detailed in the Local Commissioning Plan. Notably in the Vale of Glamorgan the need for services outstrips supply across all client groups. The priorities for new services include:
6 Units of 24 hour supported housing for people with Personality Disorders
6 Units of supported housing for people experiencing domestic abuse with learning & apprenticeship opportunities, with support staff on site during office hours
6 Units of fully wheelchair accessible accommodation with floating support for people with physical mobility issues.
10 additional units of Adult Placements for people with learning difficulties or mental health issues.
An additional 60 Unit ExtraCare Scheme for clients who require additional support and care but wish to live independently.
Accommodation based support services are expensive to develop (some require capital investment) and can take a significant length of time between planning and the service being available to service users. These priorities are likely to take the duration of the Local Housing Strategy to be achieved. Moving Forward
The SP Programme is going through a period of change; in 2010 the Welsh Government published the Aylward Review of the Programme which suggested a number of changes to the way the programme is governed and delivered in Wales. Subsequent changes to the programme have been implemented through the adoption of new Grant Conditions which set out how the programme should be delivered locally. The changes to the SP Programme that specifically impact on the Vale of Glamorgan include: Governance
The establishment of a SP National Advisory Board which provides advice to the Welsh Government and ensures that the SP Programme is focused on meeting the housing related needs of vulnerable people.
For each local authority to work regionally to plan and commission services. The Vale of
Glamorgan and Cardiff Council are members of a Regional Collaborative Committee which bring stakeholders together to ensure that services makes the most effective use of the grant funding and meet local needs.
The local authority must produce annually a three year Local Commissioning and Spend Plans and contribute to Regional Plans which identifies the need for new services and details spending intentions.
Finance
The funding ‘tariffs’ which prescribed the level of funding received by each service type were removed. Local authorities will now procure services at a market cost.
Service Delivery
All services receiving SP funding are required to monitor the outcomes achieved by each service user.
There is a recommendation that the eligibility criteria for older people receiving SP funds should be based on need rather than age or tenure. This change is likely to have an impact on sheltered housing services where a warden or scheme manager is funded by Supporting People.
The local Supporting People Programme needs to continue to: Meet the housing related support needs of individuals.
Provide housing related support services which are strategically relevant, offer value for money, good quality, service user led and outcome focused.
Plan, commission and review housing related support services in partnership.