Affordable_Housing_in_the_Uk

Affordable Housing in your Area | The need to know guide… | Inside you will find details of how you can access housing in Rugby with a specific focus on affordable housing. You will find information on housing providers and services available for you to access. | | Contents Differentiating between a Neighbourhood and a Community Page 2 What Affordable Housing Is In My Area' Page 4 How is the need for housing in the UK changing' Page 6 What this means for Young People and Older People Page 10 How can I get involved with Orbit' Page 12 Partnership Working in Rugby Page 14 Poorly performing Housing Providers Page 17 So what’s the difference between your neighbourhood and your community' Neighbourhood….'' It is hard to give a full definition of a neighbourhood as more often than not there are no set boundaries and many complexities that make up neighbourhoods. The following quote describes a neighbourhood: "A neighbourhood is a delineated area within physical boundaries where people identify their home and where they live out and organise their private lives. There is a strong social component to neighbourhoods. People connect with their neighbours in many, often unspoken ways - security, cleanliness, the environment, social behaviour, networks and conditions, nuisance, access to basic services such as schools, doctors, transport and shops". Anne Power (1999) Neighbourhood Management, LSE CASE paper 31. Often neighbourhoods have many social networks that allow people who live there to interact with each other. Young people often have “territories” as their neighbourhoods. Community….'' A community could be defined as a group of people that interact with each other and in live in the same proximity to each other (such as the street you live in). The word community is usually associated to a group of people larger than a single household that share common values and social cohesion. By this I mean they may share the same beliefs, culture, common purpose, needs and a number of other conditions may be present. A community may share a common goal that brings them together such as a lack of facilities in the area they live i.e. youth provision. The community may work together in partnership with organisations to get a service or facility established to combat this need. Since the internet was invented we have also seen an increase in the trend of virtual communities. This is evident in Social Networking sites such as “Facebook” and Twitter”. By communicating online, people are not limited to who they can contact and share interests with, therefore providing a platform to a whole new world of opportunities. So in summary the difference between your neighbourhood and your community is…… A Neighbourhood is predominantly viewed as the environment surrounding where you may live, where as a Community is a larger area such as a village, town or city. However as stated above there are new Communities forming via the Internet. So we have both physical and virtual communities in today’s society. Affordable Housing Providers In Your Area Housing Provider | Who do they House' | Image of property | Services provided | Rugby Borough Council (Local Authority) | 16+ * Temporary & emergency accommodation * Single person accommodation * Families * Couples * Older person accommodation * Supported accommodation for Young People | Housing options include: * 1/2/3/4 bed houses * 1 or 2 bed flats including high rise blocks * Bungalows * Specially adapted properties for disabilities | * Homelessness Advice * Housing Benefit Advice * Rent Deposit Scheme * Own Housing Stock * Sign posting to other Housing Providers * Choice based lettings * Specialist housing advice (such as Travelling Community) * Right to Buy * Mutual Exchanges | Orbit Heart of England(Housing Association) | * Single person accommodation (18+) * Couples (18+) * Families (18+) * Older persons accommodation (55+ for sheltered Schemes – 60+ for retirement homes) * Young Person accommodation (16+) | * 1 or 2 Bedroom flats in multi-storey blocks. * 2/3/4 bedroom houses * Bungalows * Maisonettes * Specially adapted properties for disabilities * Self-contained flats within a residential scheme * Specialised Young Person Schemes | * Social Rent * Intermediate Rent (80% market rent) * Home Ownership * Supported Accommodation * Sheltered Accommodation * Independent Living (retirement homes) * Care Homes * Right to Acquire * Mutual ExchangesFloating Support Workers, Money Advice Team, Scheme Wardens, On site facilities at Care Homes and Retirement Village, Resident Involvement opportunities. | Private Landlords | Open to anyone 18+, however people would have to afford a deposit, a month’s rent up front and often a security bond. There are also administration charges. | * Flats, apartments and houses | Rented home at market value rent. Landlords are responsible for general maintenance of property, making sure that all repairs are carried out and the property is safe to live in. | How is the need for housing changing in the UK and how does it affect me….''' Housing in the United Kingdom There are many factors impacting on the current housing need within the UK. Over the next few sections you will find information on how the change in population, welfare reform, household make up and the economy are dictating what is happening with Affordable Housing. In particular you will find in depth information on how Affordable Housing impacts on Young People and Older People. Overview: The demand for affordable housing is rapidly increasing and this is due to many factors. The UK population is projected to increase by 4.9 million from an estimated 62.3 million in 2010 to 67.2 million by 2020 and to 73.2 million over the 25 year period to mid-2035. This is where natural increase (more births than deaths) accounts for 56 per cent of the projected increase over the next decade. Another key factor is that immigrants outnumber emigrants contributing to an increased population. The chart on page 7 visually shows the growth of the UK’s population that is forecast from 2010 to 2035. This is a 19% increase over 25 years. Age pyramid of actual and projected population, 2010 and 2035, UK Source: Office for National Statistics - Part of National Population Projections, 2010-based reference volume: Series PP2 Release: An Executive Summary: Released 29th March 2012 With an ever increasing population the demand for housing in itself is increasing. This combined with increased worklessness, fuel poverty and welfare reform begins to explain why the need for affordable housing is becoming ever more challenging. Recession hit the UK in 2010 and had a huge impact on the economy. Many people were made redundant and found themselves in a position where they could not afford to pay their mortgages or live in private rented accommodation. This alone was problematic to housing providers. Local Authorities found dramatic increases in people applying for Social Housing, waiting list numbers soared. The response to this demand was Affordable Housing, introduced by the Coalition Government in 2011. Rugby Borough Council work closely with Registered Social Landlords such as Housing Associations to provide affordable housing to Rugby’s Community. This table shows demographic and economic characteristics that impact on people and how this shapes the way they live.   | Demographic and economic characteristics, 2010-11 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | all households |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | own outright | buying with mortgage | all owner occupiers |   | local authority | housing association | all social renters |   | all private renters |   | all tenures |   | age |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | thousands of households |   | 16-24 |   | * | 92 | 107 |   | 98 | 112 | 210 |   | 582 |   | 898 |   | 25-34 |   | 85 | 1,284 | 1,369 |   | 258 | 261 | 519 |   | 1,289 |   | 3,177 |   | 35-44 |   | 309 | 2,358 | 2,667 |   | 363 | 415 | 779 |   | 780 |   | 4,225 |   | 45-54 |   | 793 | 2,357 | 3,149 |   | 328 | 346 | 675 |   | 461 |   | 4,285 |   | 55-64 |   | 1,788 | 1,081 | 2,869 |   | 285 | 265 | 550 |   | 230 |   | 3,650 |   | 65 or over |   | 4,020 | 269 | 4,289 |   | 501 | 593 | 1,094 |   | 276 |   | 5,659 |   | all ages |   | 7,009 | 7,441 | 14,450 |   | 1,835 | 1,992 | 3,826 |   | 3,617 |   | 21,893 |   | economic status |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | full-time work |   | 1,835 | 6,274 | 8,109 |   | 397 | 443 | 840 |   | 2,142 |   | 11,092 |   | part-time work |   | 580 | 483 | 1,062 |   | 174 | 225 | 399 |   | 366 |   | 1,827 |   | Retired |   | 4,286 | 310 | 4,596 |   | 561 | 623 | 1,184 |   | 298 |   | 6,078 |   | unemployed |   | 80 | 86 | 166 |   | 191 | 175 | 365 |   | 221 |   | 753 |   | full-time education |   | * | * | * |   | * | * | 44 |   | 212 |   | 291 |   | other inactive |   | 212 | 269 | 482 |   | 488 | 506 | 994 |   | 378 |   | 1,853 |   | all households |   | 7,009 | 7,441 | 14,450 |   | 1,835 | 1,992 | 3,826 |   | 3,617 |   | 21,893 |   | household type |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | couple no dependent children |   | 3,626 | 2,543 | 6,169 |   | 271 | 348 | 618 |   | 915 |   | 7,702 |   | couple with dependent child(ren) |   | 444 | 2,892 | 3,336 |   | 304 | 299 | 603 |   | 682 |   | 4,621 |   | lone parent with dependent child(ren) |   | 82 | 366 | 448 |   | 299 | 363 | 663 |   | 422 |   | 1,533 |   | other multi-person households |   | 424 | 414 | 837 |   | 141 | 145 | 287 |   | 547 |   | 1,671 |   | one person under 60 |   | 411 | 1,064 | 1,475 |   | 384 | 362 | 746 |   | 829 |   | 3,050 |   | one person aged 60 or over |   | 2,023 | 161 | 2,184 |   | 436 | 474 | 910 |   | 222 |   | 3,316 |   | all household types |   | 7,009 | 7,441 | 14,450 |   | 1,835 | 1,992 | 3,826 |   | 3,617 |   | 21,893 |   | household size |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | One |   | 2,433 | 1,226 | 3,659 |   | 820 | 836 | 1,656 |   | 1,051 |   | 6,366 |   | Two |   | 3,355 | 2,310 | 5,665 |   | 425 | 511 | 936 |   | 1,245 |   | 7,847 |   | Three |   | 678 | 1,527 | 2,205 |   | 259 | 294 | 553 |   | 644 |   | 3,403 |   | Four |   | 397 | 1,721 | 2,118 |   | 195 | 183 | 378 |   | 449 |   | 2,946 |   | Five |   | 87 | 481 | 568 |   | 80 | 104 | 184 |   | 128 |   | 880 |   | six or more |   | 58 | 176 | 234 |   | 56 | 63 | 119 |   | 98 |   | 451 |   | all household sizes |   | 7,009 | 7,441 | 14,450 |   | 1,835 | 1,992 | 3,826 |   | 3,617 |   | 21,893 |   | average number of persons per household |   | 1.9 | 2.8 | 2.4 |   | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 |   | 2.4 |   | 2.3 |   | Source: English Housing Survey |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | In summary the changing demographics and the changing household formation patterns (i.e. when a relationship breaks down that goes from one household requirement to two household requirement, or when a young person moves out of the family home they require independent housing) along with the welfare reform means an increased demand for affordable housing across the UK. As shown in the table above there are increased numbers of younger people accessing social housing, this is due to young people not being able to afford private rented properties or being able to secure a mortgage. Worklessness and the ability to gain paid employment, along with changes that take effect from April 2012/13 with regards to welfare benefits and the bedroom tax in housing benefit will mean the UK will potentially see an increase in homeless applications being made to Local Authorities. This in turn will impact on housing stock and the demand for Social Housing Providers being able to supply affordable housing. There is also the culture trend of generation to generation staying in affordable housing i.e. a family are housed by a Housing Association and remain on benefits throughout the term of tenure, this in turn is followed by their children and continues to pass from generation to generation and is seen as the norm within the family. It is very unlikely that this trend will break and they will move into the private rented sector. What does this mean to you' My grandma wants to know what her housing options are now that she has retired' Older people have a variety of options available. These are: * Supported to stay at home * Sheltered Accommodation * Specially adapted properties * Care Homes * Retirement Villages * Living with family The chart below shows the trend for the mortality rate of older persons has increased year on year. Over the last 30 years the number of people aged 100 years or more in the UK has increased fivefold from 2,500 in 1980 to 12,640 in 2010. We can clearly see people are living for much longer. Current population projections suggest that the number of centenarians in the UK will exceed 160,000 by mid-2040. This puts an increased demand on not only housing but also public services. With people living for longer new ways of housing and supporting this group of people has had to be looked at. The traditional “Care Home” no longer meets the need for most elderly people and the UK does not have the capacity to house people in sheltered accommodation due to the high level of demand for this service. It is therefore becoming ever more prevalent to support older people in their own homes and rely on family support to do so. The care provision in the community has been slashed by local government due to funding restrictions has meant care hours for older people have decreased. This in turn has meant older people have to fund private care companies to support them in their homes. Previously this may have been provided by Social Services. Source: Office for National Statistics What if I’m a Young Person' For a young person there are different options that can be explored. (Many of these are listed in Affordable Housing section on page 2). Rugby Borough Council’s housing advice service is able to discuss this in greater detail if needed. Housing option includes: * Sharing a property with a friend/sibling. * Single person accommodation * Private renting through an Estate Agent * Supported Accommodation * Intermediate Rented Accommodation * Part Buy/Part Rent Properties How can I get involved in Orbit' There are many ways that residents can get involved in shaping the services that orbit provide to its customers. Orbit offer opportunities to all residents and have a clear Equality and Diversity policy to allow every single resident the same opportunities irrelevant of age, gender, sex, beliefs or disability. Residents are able to have their say and make a difference in the following ways: With your housing team: In the neighbourhood where you live - * Meeting with other residents locally – this could be about any areas of service or about a local community project. * Join in estate inspections - these are regular inspections of your estate involving staff and residents to identify and resolve issues. * Community Involvement Events – such as clean up days in your street. * Consultation on Estate improvements. * Involved in local newsletters – making recommendations for articles to be included relevant to area you live in or if it’s topical in the news/media. * Volunteer for a Working Group – working with staff and other residents looking at an issue in depth. * Get involved in fun days and other local events – attending or helping out with local activities. At a strategic level: * Joining our Readers’ Panel – if you volunteer to do this, you can help us make sure our communication meets your needs. We will email you or post you draft leaflets, policies and other projects. * Customer Scrutiny Group – This group takes an in-depth look at how well we deliver our services and makes recommendations for improvement to the Board. * Mystery shopping – You would be asked to test the level of service we deliver. You could be phoning to test our phone systems or visiting an office to check access and the information available. * Surveys - You might be asked for your views on services you have received, for instance if Orbit have recently had a repair to your home. We also carry out surveys to help with plans for the future. * Find out more about becoming a Board Member – there are residents on the Strategic Board of Orbit. * Community Investment Panel- If you volunteer for this you will help allocate grants to community projects. Many of the activities listed above are ways to participate within Orbit. This differs to consultation in the fact that consultation is usually done to bring about a change or improvement with a service; such as seeking to increase the involvement of local people, communities, and voluntary sector etc. in important decisions which impact on them. Partnership Working in Rugby An example of good partnership working in your area can be found in the following case study. Complaints about Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) coming from a property in a high rise block of flats were received by a housing officer from several residents. The complaints all related to one property in particular. The whole of the block of flats are owned by Orbit. The first step in dealing with a complaint is to talk to the complainant. The Housing Officer made contact with the complainant and discussed the issues raised in more detail. The basis of the Anti-Social behaviour was loud music being played at all hours of the day and night; along with drinking, shouting, screaming and the amount of visitors in the property. The Housing Officer completed an ASB action plan with the complainant and asked this person to complete diary sheets. The Diary sheets are used to capture information about what is going on that relates to the Anti-Social Behaviour being experienced by the complainant. These can be used as evidence in a court of law if tenancy enforcement action is taken against the perpetrator. Advice given to complainant to call the Police and have incidents logged. Advice given to contact the Community Safety Wardens (CSW). The CSW’s are able to act as independent witnesses to incidents. This is one form of partnership Orbit use in dealing with ASB. Home visits were carried out with the perpetrator. At the home visit the Housing Officer discussed what had been happening at the property and the impact this was having on the perpetrators neighbours. Perpetrator was not aware of how others were feeling around him and Housing Officer explained the impact someone’s behaviour can have on others around them. Housing Officer also advised that as the tenant the perpetrator was responsible for all visitors to the property and if they are causing nuisance, alarm or distress to others then it is the responsibility of the tenant to not allow this to happen. Housing Officer also advised that perpetrator was in breach of his/her tenancy agreement and potentially he/she could be evicted if the behaviour continued. Perpetrator did not want this to happen and demonstrated to the Housing Officer that he/she understood the consequences of his/her behaviour and the outcomes if nothing changed at the property. Housing Officer referred details on to a group that met monthly to discuss perpetrators of Anti-Social Behaviour across Rugby. Present at this meeting are all Housing Associations in the Area, Local Authority (LA), Legal department of LA, Mediation organisation and Victim Support. Details are discussed across the group case by case. The group offer support to each other in ways to combat the ASB being experienced or if there are any measures they are able to put in place to aid/ease ASB issues. Complaints continued to come into the Housing Officer. A further office interview was arranged with the perpetrator. It was here that an Antisocial Behaviour Contract (ABC) was discussed. Housing Officer explained to perpetrator that this was a voluntary contract that they would sign up to; however it would have a set of conditions that he/she must abide by, such as not playing loud music that can be heard outside of the property. Perpetrator wished to undertake this as he/she wanted to change their lifestyle and better themselves. They did not want to lose their home or to be a nuisance to others around them. A referral was also made to Orbit’s Tenancy Support Worker (TSW) to help the perpetrator find activities to fill their leisure time and combat ASB being displayed at the property. The ABC was signed in partnership with the ASB Tasking and Co-ordination group, Rugby Borough Council and the Police. The ABC lasts for a period of 6 months. Monthly monitoring meetings were held between the Housing Officer, perpetrator and the Police. These were used as a record to show improved behaviour from the perpetrator and commitment to the ABC. The perpetrator also actively engaged with the TSW on a weekly basis. At the end of the 6 months the perpetrator successfully completed the ABC and Orbit had received no complaints in relation to that property for ASB. Also the Community Safety Wardens had not been called out to the address since the ABC was signed. The perpetrator was taken off the list of individuals that were monitored by the Anti-Social Behaviour Group and has gone on to complete an apprenticeship through a local college. This is a case that demonstrates positive partnership working between agencies in your local area. Orbit work in partnership with many agencies in Rugby and the case study shown above is just one example of how these partnerships work. Below is a list of local agencies that you can expect Orbit to work in partnership with whilst you’re a resident with us: * Police – including PCSO’s * Social Services * Community Mental Health Team * Rugby Borough Council * Community Drugs & Alcohol Service * Local Children’s Centres * Other Housing Associations – Mayday/YMCA/Midland Heart/Affinity Sutton * Local youth organisations * Job Centre * Citizens Advice Bureau Positive partnerships can be demonstrated by achieving positive outcomes, such as reduction of ASB in a problem area or increased resident engagement. It maybe the implementation of a service needed within the community i.e. A surgery provided by the local Citizens Advice Bureau for debt advice. Communication is key to any good partnership succeeding and partnerships fail when certain aspects fade or breakdown. A strong partnership will have some of the following aspects present; sharing information, having the same vision and values, flexible and responsive to change, honest and transparent, working collaboratively and joint promotion of partnerships/marketing. What can I do if I think my Housing Provider is poorly performing' As a resident there are many things you can do if you think your Housing Provider is under performing or not doing what you think they should. First thing you can do is speak to your housing officer about your concerns. They will be able to advise you on how to make a formal complaint in line with the organisations complaints policy and procedure. If you feel that your complaint has not been handled in the manner you wish or remains unresolved then you are able to contact your local Housing Ombudsman. Secondly you can look on the Home & Communities Agency (HCA) website http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/. From 1st April 2012 responsibility for social housing regulation passed to the Homes and Communities Agency Regulation Committee. The consequences of consistent poor performance by a Housing Association can include: * Poor resident retention leading to a higher turnover of empty properties * Bad reputation amongst the community and peers * People in the community not wanting to live in the homes provided by the Housing Association * Loss of rent due to empty properties * No sense of community or being part of a neighbourhood * High levels of Anti-Social Behaviour including Crime * Local organisations not wanting to work in partnership * Lack of resident participation with Housing Association The HCA's role is limited to intervening only where failure of the standard could lead to risk of serious harm to tenants. Although the HCA will not liaise directly with residents, residents can make a complaint via various routes. These can include approaching your local MP, Housing Ombudsman and Local Councillors. If the HCA receives information from these bodies then the information is treated as a statutory referral. Each case is judged by the HCA on an individual basis for whether actual or potential serious detriment exists, and based on an evaluation of the harm or potential harm to residents. The regulatory standards have been set following the introduction of the Localism Act 2011 and amendments to the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. For more details on the regulatory framework have a look at www.homesandcommunites.co.uk