Mayor of London report says capital faces supported housing crisis

London has a serious shortage of specialist supported housing, according to a report published today by the London Housing Federation, Mayor of London and the Housing Corporation.

The shortage is most acute for certain socially-excluded groups, including people fleeing domestic violence, homeless people and care leavers, the report says. It claims that the growing emphasis on supporting people in their own homes, while often appropriate for disabled and older people, was sometimes less suitable for these other groups.

It estimates that London needs 5,874 additional supported homes over the next 10 years with the greatest need in east London, owing to higher levels of deprivation and a fast-growing population.

The organisations say the number of new supported homes being built in the capital has fallen dramatically since the introduction of the Supporting People funding programme in 2003, partly because of uncertainty around securing revenue funding for new schemes.

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