DoH warms to Supporting People

Sarah Davies, policy officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said some health bodies had been preoccupied with targets such as reducing waiting lists and that had taken focus away from prevention.

Mark Bannan, Supporting People adviser for the National Housing Federation’s south region, said: “There is a need to convince health of the longer-term cost benefits of supported housing to engage them to fund it.”

An ODPM spokeswoman said the DoH was continuing to explore other methods of getting primary care trusts to take part in Supporting People.

Meanwhile, the government responded to the ODPM select committee’s critical report on Supporting People. The ODPM rejected the committee’s suggestion that funding should be ring-fenced for “unpopular groups” such as single homeless people and ex-offenders. It said ring-fencing would counteract the aim of “seamless” services for people with multiple problems.