Starts at Home Day 2024
Every year we take the opportunity, through the National Housing Federation’s Starts at Home campaign, to shine a spotlight on supported housing.
Supported housing is often thought of as a service for older people, and it is that, but it’s also so much more.
It offers a lifeline for our communities’ most vulnerable; those with learning disabilities or mental health needs, young people leaving care, people experiencing homelessness and escaping domestic abuse.
It’s a vital service, and one that we’re proud to offer at NCHA. But it’s also a sector in crisis. Decades of under-funding and lack of joint working between health care and social care have left our services vulnerable.
So that’s why, as well as celebrating the fantastic stories of people like Reece, we’re also using this campaign to call on the government for additional support.
A call for long-term commitment
Supported housing helps more than half a million people live independently in our communities, and it’s a service that’s increasingly in need. Research by the National Housing Federation predicts that our country needs 167,329 more supported homes by 2040.
Without adequate supported housing services, more people will be at risk of homelessness, will face longer stays in residential or institutional care and will have longer hospital stays, putting more demand on the NHS and social care.
To secure our services and the support we offer, we’re calling on the new government to commit to a long-term plan for supporting housing.
With a long-term plan and commitment to funding, we can continue to deliver our services, look to develop new purpose-built homes and plan for the future.
