Role of housing in helping people stay at home for longer

Mary Taylor Housing Policy and Practice Unit

University of StirlingSeptember 2009

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

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’

Home could be …

New housing in Scotland since 1920

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5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

Com

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Public sector & housing association Private sector

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

Estimated stock of dwellings by tenure (Scotland) 1984 to 2008

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

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Decem

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991

Decem

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992

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r 199

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4

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5

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6

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r 200

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Mar

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Mar

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Pro

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Owner occupied Rented privately Vacant private / second homes Housing Associations Local Authorities

Where do we live?

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…

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

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

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 !

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

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

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