Supporting People sector urged to launch national campaign

Two of the country’s biggest Supporting People providers
today told the sector it should consider coming together to launch
a national Supporting People campaign, writes Simeon
Brody in London.

Senior staff from Carr-Gomm and English Churches Housing Group
told a Capita homelessness conference in London that Supporting
People providers need to lobby government and local authorities to
get across the difficulties they were experiencing with the
administration of the programme.

ECHG chief executive Peter Walters said his organisation had had
to supply “wheelbarrows full of paper work” and
challenged the schemes’ focus on outcomes as very difficult
to define for supported housing providers.

Carr-Gomm’s regional director Alka Damania said local
authorities often did not understand the costs associated with high
level supported housing and allocated Supported People funds on the
basis of mainstream homelessness provision.

Walters said there was a case to be made for supported housing
providers to meet as soon as possible after the election either as
part of the national housing confederation or outside of it to take
the message to government.

Homeless Link head of policy Dominic Williamson pledged to step
up their Supporting People campaigning.