This Starts at Home Day we’re calling on all political parties to make every decision about care a decision about housing

Starts at Home Day returns today, 1 September 2023, for its seventh year. On this day each year, we celebrate the brilliant work supported housing providers do to support people who need some help to live fulfilled lives.

Today is our day as a sector to celebrate supported housing and amplify the voices of residents and staff. It is also our chance to remind decision makers just how much difference supported housing makes to communities all across the country.

This year, in the run up to the next general election, there is also an important message to send politicians about the change that is needed. We need the party that forms the next government to commit to a long-term plan that makes sure every person who needs extra support has a safe, suitable home. 

The government predicts that demand for supported housing in England will increase by 125,000 by 2030. As a sector, we have the capacity, drive and expertise to meet this need, but we need the long-term investment and political commitment to do so.

That is why we are asking all political parties to think about long-term solutions. Our sector is so well placed to advise decision makers on how we can, together, fix the housing crisis and forge a bright future for everyone, including people who need supported housing.

Our asks this Starts at Home Day

I want to mark this Starts at Home Day by reflecting on two important asks we are making to all political parties this year: a commitment to long-term funding and a promise to make every decision about care a decision about housing.

We are asking the party that forms the next government to increase their long-term funding for housing related support. A wider, long-term investment in social housing will make certain every person who is able to move on from supported housing has a safe place to call home.

There must also be a greater awareness of the important role supported housing plays in improving residents’ wellbeing and health. That is why we are asking for every decision about care to be a decision about housing.

The next government must reinstate the £300m Housing Transformation Fund to ensure that social care and supported housing are fully integrated. This is crucial to realising the Social Care White Paper’s call to ‘make every decision about care a decision about housing’.

I am confident that with long term funding and political commitment we can build a stronger housing system, one that that makes sure everyone with support needs has a secure future. 

For this reason, it is fantastic to hear that many MPs and decision makers, including Paula Barker,
Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, have scheduled visits with NHF members this year.

Thank you to everyone who is taking part in Starts at Home Day this year. I hope you can join our celebration today by:

• Sharing case studies, blogs and photographs on social media using #StartsAtHome.
• Raising the profile of Starts at Home Day by creating your own supporter graphic.
• Writing to your MP to tell them about the importance of supported housing during the upcoming party conference season.