There are a number of funding sources that can be used to fund housing and related support for substance misusers as set out below. This page is divided in two sections; revenue and capital funding.
Funding from central government for drug treatment services is channelled via the National Treatment Agency to local Drug Action Teams (DATs). This funding is combined at the local level with funding from social services and primary care trusts to create Pooled Treatment Budgets that are allocated to services via joint commissioning groups that typically include stakeholders from across social services, health, housing, Supporting People, Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) and crime reduction agencies. The aim is to achieve a multi-agency response to problematic substance misuse, a pooling of available resources and better co-ordination of services
The primary focus of a Pooled Treatment Budget is to provide drug treatment. However, in exceptional circumstances, and when treatment plan expectations and national targets are being met, it can be used to complement additional resources that are provided by the partnership to enhance housing support for drug users. Such spend should be reported in both the partnership Treatment Plan and local Homelessness strategies and agreed with the National Treatment Agency Regional Manager.
DIP main grant cannot be used to directly fund housing or housing related support, but can be part of a package of support that includes this. So for instance it can be used to:
Supporting People budgets are able to fund housing related support that helps an individual to avoid institutional care or homelessness. This funding is largely used to fund housing focused support around benefits, debt management, adherence to tenancy conditions and daily living skills. However it can also include support with a wider purpose such as continued engagement with treatment services, establishment or maintenance of social networks, and access to education and training services. Most problematic drug users will need this type of support due to the impact that this often has on their behaviour, ability to pay bills etc. Supporting People budgets are limited however and are used to deliver services for up to 20 different client groups, according to priorities determined by a local (county or unitary level) commissioning body which includes representatives from health, social services, housing and probation. Drug misusers are therefore competing for Supporting People funding with other groups such as older people, young people leaving care and homeless families.
Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to housing authorities by the department of Communities and Local Government using a formula based on demographics, levels of homelessness etc. It is not ring-fenced and authorities can determine how to spend it on activities they think will best tackle and prevent homelessness in their area. There is an expectation that it will contribute to better outcomes as follows:
These pages provide information about Local Area Agreements; what they are, how they work, and how they affect homelessness oranisations. The information below details the current situation. To understand how LAAs function will change in April 2008, when there will be a major transition to a new framework, see section on the future of LAAs. http://www.homeless.org.uk/policyandinfo/policyandinfo/issues/laacurrent
Drug users who are not working or on a low wage usually pay for their housing through housing benefit. Housing benefit can only be paid up to levels determined by the rent officer for homes rented in the private sector. However, all new benefit claims for homes provided through registered social landlords, or to fulfil an authority’s homelessness duties, are outside of rent officer control. General information on housing benefit can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/housing_benefits.asp
Every housing authority receives an annual amount from the Department of Work and Pensions to enable it to make Discretionary Housing Payments to top up housing benefit for vulnerable tenants living in the private rented sector, where their rent is above the rent officer’s determination. If an authority does not spend all of its allocation the excess must be returned and the amount is reduced the following year. More information about DHP can be found at http://www.dwp/gov.uk/housingbenefit/manuals/dhpguide.pdf.
New housing developments can be funded via the Housing Corporation which holds a bi-annual bidding round during which housing associations compete for funding. Allocations of funding are made in accordance with regional and sub-regional housing priorities. The support of the local housing authority will normally be required for any new developments funded by the Housing Corporation.
Where a cross authority service is being proposed it will be important to gain support for this from the Regional Housing Board. It can be helpful to find out the timetable for development or revision of the Regional Housing Strategy and ensure that a reference to the need for the service is included in that document.
In 2006/7 the NTA made capital funding available to support the development of tier four treatment services, and in some cases this was used to fund supported housing leading into or out of those services. However there are no plans to repeat this allocation of funding in 2007/8.
Loans are available from Futurebuilders for voluntary organisations to enable them to compete successfully for contracts from the public sector that they would otherwise be unable to win. The loans are offered at attractive rates to organisations which might otherwise be unable to raise loan finance, and repayment terms are flexible. Loans can be secured to cover both capital and revenue costs, and grant may also be available (up to 50% of the total amount applied for) to meet development costs that it would otherwise be impossible to recoup through normal contracting fees. Grant may be payable for initial developmental work, staff training, infrastructure costs etc. More details can be found at http://www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk.