Helping people to live independently

The Supporting People Programme Grant means people get help in their own communities without adding extra costs and pressure to public services.

I recently stopped a Torfaen man from being illegally evicted from his flat and becoming homeless. This would have worsened his mental health issues and put him in unsuitable accommodation.

His privately rented flat was flooded and his landlord moved him to another home. During one of my support visits, I was checking his letters and he showed me a three-month eviction notice. I could see it had been illegally post-dated.

This had been making him anxious. He is bi-polar, schizophrenic and has anger management issues.

I spoke to his landlord who wasn’t very happy that I had spotted what he had been trying to do. The extra time meant that we could get his application into Homeseeker ready to start bidding for a new place to live.

I supported him through this and, in a lovely coincidence, a flat that he lived in many years ago became available and his application was successful.

He couldn’t manage the contact with the different agencies such as removals, housing benefit, the health charities and the Department for Work and Pensions. My work with him made sure it was smooth and he knew what was happening at every step.

He is meeting all of his support outcomes which we agreed when I began working with him. It won’t be long before I stop seeing him and take on another person to help live independently.


Amanda James
Support Officer, Bron Afon Community Housing

Gareth's story

Read about how the Supporting People Programme changed Gareth's life for the better...

What were the circumstances which led to you needing your support provider?
I was homeless and living in a tent. I was trying to overcome drug addiction but this is difficult when you don’t have secure accommodation.

Which organisation/support provider helped you?
Solas' Dyfrig House scheme in Cardiff

How did your support provider help you? Dyfrig House is a place where I feel safe. I have been in other hostels where I feel like I have to watch my back, but not here. Support to go swimming has helped improve my self confidence. I wouldn’t have liked using the changing room with lots of other people when I was homeless, but I now feel confident, even when it’s busy. I’ve also had support to enrol on the Footsteps to Recovery programme to address my substance misuse issues and now that I have completed this I have enrolled on the MILE programme to help me fulfil my life goal of becoming a substance misuse worker.

What did you find most valuable about your support provider?
The fact that it is a dry hostel means I feel safe.

Where would you be now if it wasn’t for your support provider?
I really couldn’t say, but a lot closer to my death for sure.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future?
To become a substance misuse worker. For now I need to stay clean, complete the MILE programme and start my volunteering.

Christopher's story

Christopher explains how the Supporting People Programme has changed his life...


What were the circumstances which led to you needing your support provider?
I was homeless following the breakdown of a relationship and I was abusing alcohol and drugs. I didn’t take my medication and my mental health deteriorated which resulted in me being admitted to hospital following a suicide attempt


Which organisation/support provider helped you? 
Solas' Dyfrig House scheme in Cardiff.


How did your support provider help you?
They help me massively. With my mental health problems, I always feel like people have looked down on me, but here there are people who listen, who I am able to talk to.

I have a roof over my head and people to show me the steps and give me the tools to get through my illness.


What did you find most valuable about your support provider?
Having people who listen and who are always there if I need to talk.


Where would you be now if it wasn’t for your support provider?
Probably 6 feet under or in hospital due to the drink or my mental health.


What are your hopes and aspirations for the future?
To get better, and to one day move on and hopefully help people in my position and to be able to tell them there’s light at the end of the tunnel because there IS hope.

A case study - PORTH Supporting People Service

PORTH is a Supporting People service provided by Tai Ceredigion for elderly and vulnerable people through the county.

The service is provided in our Sheltered Schemes and any individual from the community can access the service by arranging an appointment and visiting a scheme which is most convenient to them. Referrals for support can be made by statutory or voluntary services, or by self referral. The advisors can talk through each concern and then work with each person to achieve the desired goals.

The scheme can help with benefit enquiries, financial matters, mobility issues, housing issues and general help with accessing social support and services.

Our client, 'Mrs Neighbour' was referred to the PORTH service from a partner agency with concerns for escalating rent arrears.

The initial assessment identified many areas of need including mounting debts, high rent arrears and potential homelessness, inappropriate and damp private rented accommodation, failing physical health, mental health issues and the inability to manage life on a day to day basis.

PORTH worked with Mrs Neighbour to understand what the personal goals and priorities were and then liaised with specialist agencies where necessary. Negotiations were made with her current landlord to buy time to try and reduce the rent arrears, medical information was supplied and the Environmental agency accessed to maximise the award of points for the housing register to try to move client Mrs Neighbour into more affordable and sustainable social housing.

This was successful, and 'Mrs Neighbour' was able to move into sheltered accommodation some months later and so avoiding certain homelessness.


PORTH supported Mrs Neighbour to successfully:

• Apply for ESA & SDP, PIP and DHP. 
• Also to declare bankruptcy (via a CAB financial specialist)
• To obtain a grant of £700 towards rent arrears
• To manage medication through liaison with the GP and chemist
• To attend relevant medical appointments
• To set up utility accounts
• To open a suitable bank account for direct debits.

Buddug Lewis

Tai Ceredigion Housing Manager

By offering support and guidance, the service assisted with many aspects of Mrs Neighbour's life. It was noted that there was a marked improvement in their mental health, general wellbeing and the ability to sustain an independent life in suitable accommodation.

'I never would have managed it without the support and help I received from the Supporting People programme'...

My name is Kerry Manning and I’m a former client of the Wallich in Park Street, Bridgend. I came to live in Wales from Northern Ireland in July of 2010 as a result of domestic violence. When I first came to Wales, I was in Women’s Aid for seven months before I got my own property for me and my two children. I was extremely lonely and my children were living in squalor as I couldn’t afford to decorate or buy things for my home. I was in a desperate state of depression and had no one to turn to as I have no family in Wales.

I then met the man who turned out to be my now husband but my life went downhill even more as he is an alcoholic. I ended up drinking with him and our problems just got worse. We were fighting to the point where the police were called and social services were called for the safety of my children.

I was at my lowest ebb and ended up taking an overdose - I just couldn’t see any way out at all.

Then I started working with a fantastic network of people who just wanted to help me. They referred me to the Wallich and my life has just got better and better. I was allocated a support worker from the floating support team named Ashley and she has done amazing things for me. At one point social services had given me six months to change my home or my children would have been taken into care.

Ashley came on board and helped me apply for benefits that I was entitled to and helped me get grants to get flooring and normal things like wardrobes for my children. But most of all, she was there for me just to chat to if I just needed to scream at someone.

It was a long hard road at times, especially when I was going to my social services meetings. Just having Ashley there for support was a huge godsend for me and my children. Then Ashley moved to another project and I was really worried in case I had no one to turn to, but I didn’t have to worry because my next support worker, Siobhan, just took over where Ashley left off. The Wallich made changeovers of support workers as easy as possible for me.

As time went on I felt my confidence getting better. I decided I would like to do volunteer work and I was offered to do it at the Wallich. I then began to volunteer in the drop-in a couple of mornings a week.

The past year has been the hardest of my life but also the best. I never would have managed it without the support and help I received from floating support (funded by the Supporting People programme). I can guarantee that I would be on the streets and my children would have been taken off me and placed into care. And now, a year on, I’m no longer a client. I’m a single mum now but it’s all for the best for myself and my children.

I’m now volunteering three days a week with the Wallich and I enjoy every minute of it. I never ever thought I would see me doing this, but the support and help I’ve had from floating support saved me and my family and I would really like to help people in similar circumstances. Without the support and help from floating support, I know I would not be where I am today. I am now at a point in my life where I can see a happy future for me and my children. My confidence has soared tenfold and my children are happier than they have ever been, all thanks to the help I have received. I can never thank them enough. And even though I am no longer a client, the team are still there for me, pushing me to my strengths and helping me achieve my goals.

Hopefully the next step now is to actually work for them as gratitude for everything they have done for me and my children, and also help other families in the same situation that I was once in.

Kerry Manning
Volunteer at The Wallich 

Five golden rules of being a Policy Officer

When I started at CHC in 2012, I had no real idea what a Policy Officer did. Two and a half years later, it’s fair to say that I sort of know. That’s hopefully no reflection on my ability to do the job, but more a reflection of a distinct benefit of the role. Policy Officer roles are like snowflakes - no two are exactly the same. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in working on current policy development, particularly around the Supporting People programme in Wales, whilst also providing some contemporary thought on links with the health service in Wales. Queue shameless plug for CHCs contribution to “Making Prudent Healthcare Happen”.


1. Ctrl-f is your best friend
The length of consultation documents, the complexity of legislation, the sheer volume of research and briefings was a daunting prospect when I initially started. Part of the Policy Officer art is in being able to understand something complex or lengthy pretty quickly and, more importantly, understand the impact and opportunities on the sector.

2. At events, the real work begins when you arrive at the coffee station or go to the buffet
You’re inundated with events to attend… both for your own organisation and being a representative at others. I’ve learned quickly that the buffet queue or coffee station is where the real value of most events lie. Particularly if you’re trying to put across some complex points about how the sector works, stuff around more than bricks and mortar to someone with a basic understanding of what housing associations do… it’s far tougher for them to walk away whilst scoffing down a slice of quiche.

3. Decide on a one liner to describe what you do, and stick to it…
I’ve tried not to worry too much about the fact that my Nan thinks I work for a Local Authority, my Mum thinks I build homes and my partner has given up trying to explain what I do altogether. My one liner has always been “I work for a housing charity”… most people are happy enough to take that and leave it there. Anyone who has probed further has, no doubt, after I’ve finished my 30 minute explanation, learnt their lesson.

4. Carry a food bag
As someone who can’t function when hungry I’ve made constant use of a food bag to enhance my ability to eat well between meetings, event and the office. Policy, if it were a sport, would be an endurance sport with a few sprints added in for good measure. For me, bananas, fig rolls, seeds and nuts, apples, jaffa cakes, dark chocolate, peanut butter have all made regular or guest appearances.

5. Be passionate and believe in the work
When most people think Policy Officer they don’t think excitement, explosions etc. It’s true that you’re more Q than you are 007 - equipping the sector for the challenges ahead. But it can be dry, so being passionate about what you’re helping to achieve, and believing that it’s genuinely the answer to complex socio-economic challenges, is vital.

I’ll still, where beneficial and appropriate, highlight the role of housing associations in improving health, tackling poverty and working with communities. Not because of any feeling of obligation to do so, but because seeing the impact of housing associations, and being part of developing the thinking around improving health through housing, has had a permanent impact on my own belief system.


So those are my 5 (not so) Golden Rules for being a Policy Officer.

In the words of one of my idols, and role models - Stay classy CHC. 

Matthew Kennedy
Policy Officer

Matt will be starting his new role as Policy Officer at Macmillan Cymru next week. Pob lwc, Matt!

“Trust me, I’m a housing professional...”

This week at the Welsh NHS Confederation conference, the menu of topics is interesting and timely. How do we set up our workforce in an integrated way? How do we bring about meaningful change for those we serve? How do we move from rhetoric to reality?

As a policy professional working in the housing association sector in Wales, I’m keenly interested in all of the above. I was recently invited, on behalf of Community Housing Cymru, to contribute to Welsh Government’s “Making Prudent Healthcare Happen” online resource, which is a collection of essays exploring the challenges and opportunities of this new way of working.

The services provided by housing associations, in terms of high quality housing, care and support services, community initiatives, employment and skills, and digital inclusion, are but some examples of the broad work taking place to improve health and work to reduce the number of people requiring the services of their GP or local A&E. The housing association sector and people working within it are able to provide legitimate solutions to the mounting challenges faced by the NHS and, more broadly, public services in Wales.

Housing associations work in some of the most deprived communities in Wales. When we think about how we work as public facing services to combat factors such as unemployment, education, and inactivity which we know have a substantial impact on health and wellbeing, housing associations are a key part of the formula for addressing such issues.

But the carpet is being pulled from underneath us as a housing sector. Salami slicing cuts to vital services such as the Supporting People Programme are threatening to further push people into NHS services who may otherwise have received a preventative, person centred service at a far earlier stage.

The Welsh Government budget for 2015/16 confirmed a £10m cut to Supporting People, reducing it to £124m. In real terms, this means that over 4,000 people will now go without the support they could have accessed if the fund were protected. The £10m cut is the equivalent of annual funding to provide all services for men and women at risk of domestic abuse and young people with support needs in the Vale and Cardiff. In addition, supporting people services provide a well-used referral route for hospital move-on teams, freeing up hospital beds and resources.

At a time when we need a strong “prevention sector” in Wales, we cannot afford an environment of disinvestment that undervalues the key work of organisations delivering Supporting People services.

Although the prudent healthcare work demonstrates the value, the opportunities and the enthusiasm for things to change, these words mean nothing without action from all sides.

If through prudent healthcare we’re entrusting people to look after themselves and to make positive health behaviours part of their regular habits, then it’s also vital to trust the ability of the housing association sector to support and work closely with the NHS in meeting the challenges it faces both now and in the future.

In our recent economic impact report you can see some case studies (p16-18) which demonstrate the prudent nature of the housing associations sector. Taff Housing addressing delayed transfer of care, and Melin Homes working with a collaborative to re-invent Continuing Healthcare packages in Gwent. Consistency is key, however, and we will know we are on the right track once we are able to call projects such as these common practice rather than best.

Matt Kennedy
Policy Officer: Care, Support and Health  

Winter is coming...

Jon Snow knew much of the perils that lurked in the coming winter. With his battle-hardened peers in the Night’s Watch, he could see from the wall, and through forays beyond, the danger that made its home in the cold and ice. But, apart from a bad case of frostbite, what did Jon Snow and those around him suffer as a result of? Well, a lack of shared ownership of the problem, poor collaboration and, as the issues intensified, a failure to use dwindling resources in a different, more efficient way.

You wouldn’t find many of us looking pensively into the distance, muttering 'winter is coming' during August. But, let’s face it, he had the right idea. We should have a joint sense of urgency, readiness and understanding of the challenges unique to this time of year.

Outside the world of  'Game of Thrones', the statistics around fuel poverty and winter deaths are sobering. In 2012, 30% of households in Wales (386,000 households) were estimated to be in fuel poverty. This is the equivalent to 54,000 more households than in 2008. Rising fuel prices have largely been counteracted by the increases in income and energy efficiency savings in the housing stock, and this has led to the increase in the number of fuel poor households.

Fuel poverty is a significant cause of excess winter deaths and, in 2012/13, there were 1,900 excess winter deaths in Wales. This was a 32% fall from the previous winter, which had seen the highest number since 1999/2000, but still above the 10 year average. 89% of these deaths involved people aged 65 or over, with the highest rate amongst those over 85 who constituted nearly 60% of the total.

There is much being done in an attempt to reduce these figures. For example, Care & Repair Cymru works with older people across Wales to support them to live in warm, safe and secure homes. This work is continued throughout the year; however, it is particularly pertinent heading toward the winter months. This year, Care & Repair agencies are offering free winter warm packs, containing a blanket and hot water bottle. These packs help to promote Care & Repair agencies as a service to help older people prepare for and manage safely through the winter.

Housing associations are doing much to offset the impact of fuel poverty, including:

• Improving the energy efficiency of homes through the Welsh Housing Quality Standard and energy programmes such as Arbed
• Helping tenants maximise their income through projects such as the Your Benefits are Changing (YBAC) campaign. YBAC helps tenants to claim benefits they are entitled to. One area of success has been the identification of the Warm Home Discount - YBAC last year successfully assisted over 914 people to claim a rebate which equates to an annual sum of £127,960. 
• Helping to try to negate energy price increases through such actions as behavioural change for energy use. 

Across public services, the impacts of winter are likely to be felt more profoundly in the Welsh NHS. Winter preparedness is a key task for Health Boards, and a hot topic within the media and public sphere. But it’s important, particularly now in the context of prudent healthcare, that we all take responsibility as individuals and organisations to meeting the winter challenge.

In terms of working with housing associations:

• Creating capacity for step down accommodation in Extra Care and Sheltered Housing
• Placing housing professionals within hospital discharge teams to decrease delayed transfer of care
• Working with housing associations to facilitate and coordinate community activity during the winter months
• Partnering to ensure that advice and information is accessible in a range of community settings and media formats. 

Of course, this should all rightly go beyond what we plan as organisations and a mix of services. Last year, Public Health England called for 100,000 people to check on neighbours over the winter months.

We should be using this time to reignite our sense of community, decrease loneliness and isolation during months when these may be felt more profoundly and together contribute to managing the demand on GP or A&E service during these months. Everyone can help, from championing local services, clearing roads, communal snowman building, committing your long term future to the Night’s Watch – it’s the small gestures that will truly make a difference this Christmas. It could put a smile on someone’s face, it could save a life.

Matthew Kennedy
Policy Officer: Care, Support and Health

Homeless prevention - at the heart of what we do

In the summer of 2013, Community Housing Cymru commissioned research in partnership with the WLGA, funded by Welsh Government, to explore the opportunity for greater collaboration between housing associations and local authorities.

Reflecting on this, it's fair to say that the research challenges the sector and local authorities by, to some extent, putting the writing on the wall over what works and what doesn't. It highlights some issues around consistency, roles and responsibility and some contrasting priorities. But it also demonstrates the high volume of innovative projects that local authorities and housing associations have worked on together in using housing stock and the generally positive relationships that exist between housing associations and local authorities in Wales.

The workshop sessions conducted for the research revealed that some local authorities are concerned that with increasing pressure on housing association rental income, this will increasingly become the focus of business. It's important that we put such concerns to rest.

We've always said we're more about bricks and mortar and we've consistently shown this to be the case - you just need to look at the regeneration, innovative care provision, financial and digital inclusion initiatives, employment and skills projects provided by the sector to understand what housing associations are about. It's more than tackling homelessness - for our members it's about supporting individuals to build fulfilling, rewarding lives.

We know that Supporting People funding will also continue to be an important part of how we provide accommodation and support and the new collaborative arrangements which drive how this funding is used should be an opportunity to build and spread the highly positive practice that exists, much of which is highlighted in the report.

Welfare reform continues to be a shadow over the sector which, in the context of homelessness, undermines the ability of local authorities to house individuals quickly and reduce demand on temporary accommodation due to the 'bedroom tax'.

CHC will continue to challenge and support our members to deliver more, and explore new ways of delivering projects to meet increasing demand on both our own and other sectors. It's clear that the homelessness challenge facing Wales will continue to require dynamic thinking from housing, health, the third sector and Welsh Government to drive improvement in how we do things. It’s true that public services in many instances have no option but to change, so if we can’t control that then we should seek to control how we change in an informed way. This research is a stepping stone to doing that in the context of homelessness.

You can read the full report here.


Matt Kennedy
Policy Officer: Care, Support and Health