People with mental health problems `must not be excluded`

People with mental health problems must not be excluded from the
government’s new single stream of funding for supported
housing services, according to a leading mental health charity,
writes Anabel Unity Sale.

Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing annual
conference, Sane’s head of strategy Margaret Edwards said
supported housing provision for people with mental health problems
must continue when ‘Supporting People’ comes into effect in
2003.

She told delegates: “Obviously there is some concern about the
fact that a fixed (Supporting People funding) pot could mean mental
health will lose out, but it is important to identify that need now
and how it can be funded.”

Edwards added: “It would be a great shame if the Supporting
People safeguard did not support people with mental health
problems.”

She said once councils – who will administer Supporting
People funding – had identified mental health funding it should not
be fixed at that level. Edwards said: “If Supporting People is
truly to provide independence then the system has to allow for the
fact that at different stages, people with mental health problems
will need different levels of supported accommodation.”

She said Supporting People was “an extremely exciting
opportunity” to not only look at need across the board, but also
look at the need of special groups, like those with mental health
problems.

 

 

 

 

 

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