Supported housing on brink of cash crisis, charities warn

More than 150 organisations, including Age UK and Refuge, have warned the supported housing sector is on the precipice of a financial crisis which could plunge tens of thousands of vulnerable people into homelessness.

- Jessica Murray

In a letter to the government being delivered today, public bodies, charities and housing associations called for action to save the sector, which provides homes for 500,000 people across England with complex needs.

They said funding cuts and rising costs had pushed providers to breaking point, and that organisations providing nearly one in five (18%) of all supported homes are on the verge of closing down services - which would lead to the loss of 70,000 homes.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) found that a third of providers in England said they may have to stop providing supported housing altogether due to financial pressure, and 32% have closed homes in the past 12 months.

These included homes for young people leaving care, older people and veterans, people with learning disabilities, survivors of domestic abuse and people who had been homeless.