Agenda item

Ian Swift, Director of Housing Operations, introduced the presentation as set out on pages 7-16 in the agenda pack.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

• The Chair queried about accommodation available for the elderly, in response, officers advised that Islington Council did not have any sheltered accommodation for elderly people.  Sheltered accommodation provision was managed by a local Housing Association with around 900 properties. There were some challenges to allocate sheltered accommodation to elderly individuals as they often preferred independent living in general needs accommodation to maintain their independence as long as they can.
• In terms of the housing register, the number of pensioners on the register was very small compared to the vast majority of the register consisting of the younger population.
• Discussions with local housing associations had suggested that sheltered accommodation may be remodelled as the current model was not suitable for future generational needs. The Committee also noted that it would be very unlikely that Islington Council and partner housing associations would be building sheltered housing in the future. It was advised that the provision for new sheltered housing for elderly people was not at the forefront of priorities for Islington Council’s housing department due to increasing need for other forms of accommodation.
• The Committee noted that the Council had a right-size move approach which moved people from larger accommodation to a smaller accommodation. This approach had been successful with around 100 moves a year. This was also beneficial for the elderly population as it supported them to downsize and live independently.
• The Committee was informed that the Council had a Seaside and Country Homes Scheme which supported elderly people who wanted to move to a sheltered housing on the coast of Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex areas.
• It was noted that inflation, cost of building materials, land availability and demand were also some of the reasons for the lack of extra care sheltered units for elderly in the borough.
• It was also noted that the Council’s Housing department would most likely not be able to build more extra care accommodation for the elderly as the priorities were greater in other areas including homelessness and families living in overcrowded accommodation.
• The Committee noted that there was a 35% increase in homeless applications over the last 12 months. There were around 721 homeless single vulnerable adults living in temporary accommodation. However, vulnerable homeless households did not meet the threshold to access Adult Social Care services because they did not have needs identified within the Care Act.
• Officers highlighted that 1,143 tenants of Islington Council received support from Adult Social Care. This was one third of all care packages provided by Adult Social Care. The were 3,429 care packages in place from Adult Social Care. 16.80% General Fund budget spent on Adult Social Care in Islington. There were 25,357 Islington council tenants with 4% receiving Adult Social Care packages.
• A member queried on models of housing similar to Crowfield house, where there were specific blocks for specific age groups, in response, it was noted that the management framework for this type of housing would need to be reviewed as it no longer served its purpose as society’s needs have changed.
• Following a question on meeting new build target of 10% of homes being accessible, it was commented that the Council was on track for delivering this target.
• In response to a question regarding intergeneration housing, it was advised that this was being looked into and investigated as part of the Council’s strategic work. Officers stressed that the priority within the housing service was to meet the needs of homelessness, however, the service was open to considering other strategic approaches.
• The Committee noted that the number of homeless families living in emergency accommodation such as B&Bs and hostels had increased by 29% in a year. This was due to lack of alternative accommodation available.
• Regarding the overspend in homelessness, it was noted that Islington Council had an overspend of £2.25 million for temporary accommodation in the current financial year. It was advised that this was an ongoing issue across most London Councils with an average overspend of £20 million in London.
• Following a question on Home Office hotels, it was commented that there were currently two Home Office hotels in Islington. The Council conducted upstream prevention work to prevent rough sleeping. Around 70% of the people placed in the hotel had the right to remain in the country.
• In response to a question on rough sleeping, it was advised that the Council had effective partnership with voluntary sector homeless agencies and had a Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Forum which was chaired by an independent organisation. The Union Chapel, Street Kitchen and Shelter From The Storm also provided support for the homeless.

 RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.