Respite Care
We are currently reviewing our provision of respite care for people with a physical disability 18-65. We are looking at ways of accessing supported living projects but come across the difficulty of funding as most of the funded schemes require a tenancy. Does anyone have any ideas or advice?
We have traditionally bought a block beds in a residential home and another in a nursing home. We also spot purchase beds or give direct payments. This is now getting difficult
You could seek to make an agreement with a housing provider, an RSL or local authority, to provide x number of accessible properties for this purpose, with you paying the rent, utility bills, council tax etc and This is what we did in Southampton to provide our Intermediate Care & 'bed blocking' projects. Housing made some properties available within a sheltered housing scheme and social services paid for the adaptations + the costs of furnishing and fitting out the properties. The way we covered the 'tenancy issue' was to develop an 'agreement for the use of the accommodation' which then was signed by the client when they signed their care/rehab package arrangements. Happy for you to telephone me to discuss this further if necessary.
Where we offer this (in one Mental health Scheme) the LA gave us the land for the scheme - so we offset the value of the land against the Housing Corp grant - so LA effectively gave us equivalent of the HC's Social Housing Grant for this one unit only. We still had to raise a mortgage on the unit, and we still deliver housing management and maintenance; unit is fully furnished; so Social Services pay us rent and service charges in full (as no HB eligibility). Rent and service charge covers mortgage, repairs, furnishings, elec, water gas council tax etc.
We use an excluded licence agreement - as there is no money paid by the occupant for occuptaion it is excluded from the protection from evistion act... could send copy if needed.
Ann Sutcliffe
Bromford Carinthia Housing Association
My understanding is that Housing Corporation money cannot be used to provide respite services (as it has to be used for homes for people) but that DC/BC/Mets have greater flexibility.
In Suffolk the CC have also paid capital towards services to 'buy' space that is then managed by the housing, support and care provider for both respite and intermediate care so that we don't fall foul of this rule. We also have asked in our PSA for freedoms and flexibility in this matter from ODPM but to date have not had a sensible response from them...............Happy to talk to them if that would help.......
Judith Hawkshaw
01473 264 432
[log in to view email address]