The Government has published a National Statement of Expectations (NSE) for supported housing.
This sets out guidelines of best practice in the sector for standards in accommodation and ‘is an important step in establishing what good looks like and how it can be achieved.’ To be clear, these are not legal requirements but recommendations on how to maximise the services offered. Members may, however, find their recommendations useful.
In supported housing, accommodation is provided alongside support, supervision or care to help people live as independently as possible in the community.
The statement outlines that all parties involved in the delivery of supported housing benefit from working collaboratively to:
assess local demand for supported housing plan effectively for the required provision deliver accommodation which is good quality and value for money Some of the key recommendations include:
Collaboration between local councils, providers and local delivery partners to assess, plan and deliver supported housing Accommodation is assessed for its suitability in meeting the needs of residents Regular communication and collaboration between local council housing services, landlords, managing agents, support staff and commissioners of support services, to share information so that arrangements can be adapted as resources or residents’ needs change Supported housing providers encouraged to participate in sector-led accreditation and benchmarking schemes which demonstrate compliance with standards and are aimed improving transparency and performance on value for money and quality of housing services Both local councils and providers ensure they take a consistent approach to administration and information sharing. The full statement can be found here .
Posted 27 October 20
A letter from Nick Phillips CEO of The Almhouse Association has been featured in the Labour Housing Group September 20 newsletter.
Nick Phillips CEO writes:
Almshouses are part of history but also very much part of a future housing solution.
Although almshouses will never be the complete answer to the housing crisis, trustees are ready to build and they represent a great opportunity to expand, based on a model of independent living and resident well-being that is genuinely affordable.
Over the last 1,000 years, almshouses have offered truly affordable homes to those in need. If ever there was a time for more it’s now.
To read the article in full on Page 7 of the newsletter, please click here
Posted 8 October 2020
Mark Bennet, Team Rector at Thatcham in Berkshire talks about his preconceptions of almshouses before he found himself as one of the trustees of Loundye’s and John Hunt’s Almshouses.
He begins:
Before I became a trustee of the Thatcham Parochial Almshouse Charity, the most I had known about almshouses was from Trollope’s “The Warden” as seen on TV and a vague sense that almshouses were an antiquated form of do-goodery providing congenial accommodation for distressed gentlefolk and retired clergy. I was to discover that such a view of Almshouses is a profound mistake.
When I became Rector of my parish, I found myself one of nine trustees of Loundye’s and John Hunt’s Almshouses and the quaintly named “Nine Shilling House”. I read the history of the Almshouses – the charity had once owned a field on which grazed a cow, whose milk was provided free to the Almshouse residents. It seemed that my prejudices were being confirmed.
And then I met the residents of our fourteen flats ……
This is a truly wonderful account from Mark and no doubt sums up exactly what many of us thought about almshouses before we ‘got involved’.
His visions for the future mirror those of the almshouse movement – we know that the almshouse model can play a much greater role in meeting the need for sustainable affordable housing in our generation and beyond; and as more and more almshouses are being built, it certainly looks like the vision is becoming a reality.
A downloadable version of the article can be found here or visit the Church of England website here
Posted 7 October 2020
The Local Government Association’s first magazine has published an article written by the Almshouse Association promoting almshouses and their benefits to local authorities.
The article forms the basis of the Association’s engagement strategy with a number of different stakeholders across the housing sector, including local councils, who may wish to explore the option of supporting new and old almshouses in their area.
The full article can be found here
Posted 7 September 2020
Virtual Recruiting can work well!
Charisma recruitment is registered on the Almshouse Association’s Panel of Consultants and they have offered some great advice to any members that may be finding ‘in person recruitment’ a challenge at the moment:
Right now, recruitment may not be at the top of your list of priorities, however, if you suddenly have a need in your team, you may be questioning the logic to start a recruitment process for a vital role at this time, knowing that you may not be able to meet (interview) potential interested candidates face to face.
Let me put your mind at rest by sharing our experiences with you, as the Consultants at Charisma have been successfully recruiting for Almshouse charities and other not for profit organisations, both through personal and virtual interviews, for many years.
With a clear, well-structured, yet flexible, recruitment plan in place, even during these unprecedented times, a successful outcome can be achieved through creative methods!
Expert, insightful recruitment takes time and should not be rushed. A commitment from the Board and executive team to allow this new, virtual, approach to work should allow each search to be made possible and, when an appointment has been made, then to carry this forward on to induction of a new team member virtually too. With the benefit of using technology like MS Teams, Zoom and Skype, presentations can be shared via Dropbox, virtual interviews carried out successfully and you could even give the candidates a ‘tour’ of the offices and a chance to meet the team too – all through these specific on-line platforms.
We can share our experience of just how we have helped our clients to do this in recent weeks and how we can help to ensure that your almshouse has the best people to sustain its activities going forward.
Contact details for Charisma Recruitment: jenny@charismarecruitment.co.uk | 0207 998 8888
Posted 22 July 20
Historic England has produced a new report, Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: How to Improve Energy Efficiency , which looks at how you can improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings.
The report highlights the necessity of striking the correct balance between the benefits that improved efficiency can bring, with the harm that can be done to these precious establishments. To achieve this balance the report highlights the need to take a holistic ‘whole building’ approach which takes account of the buildings context, significance and factors which affect energy use.
Carried out properly this approach will ensure that you:
avoid harm to significance are effective, cost efficient, proportionate and
sustainable ensure a healthy and comfortable environment for
occupants minimise the risk of unintended consequences This guidance is likely to be useful to many of our members tasked with protecting and maintaining their historic almshouses. As always, the Association is here to offer support to members who may be looking to renovate their almshouses, so please do not hesitate to contact us.
Posted 20 July 2020
The Almshouse Association would like to make members aware of the new Complaints Handling Code which has been published by the Housing Ombudsman Service.
The Code is meant to ‘a framework for high-quality complaint handling and greater consistency across landlords’ complaint procedures’. This new code is only applicable to those members who are Registered Providers and are therefore obliged to be registered with the Housing Ombudsman, or those who have voluntarily chosen to sign up.
The key areas of the code are:
Universal definition of a complaint Providing easy access to the complaints
procedure and ensuring residents are aware of it, including their right to
access the Housing Ombudsman Service The structure of the complaints procedure – only
two stages necessary and clear timeframes set out for responses Ensuring fairness in complaint handling with a
resident-focused process Taking action to put things right and
appropriate remedies Creating a positive complaint handling culture
through continuous learning and improvement Demonstrating learning in Annual Reports Members will be asked to self-assess against the Code by 31st
December 2020 and to publish their results. Failure to do so could lead to the
Ombudsman issuing a complaint handling failure order.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact The Almshouse Association for assistance.
Posted 13th July 2020
As the lockdown continues to ease around the nation, it is worth remembering to catch up with vital checks which may not have been undertaken as buildings were left understaffed or empty.
A particularly important check at this time is that of water safety. It is highly recommended that members carry out the necessary checks for Legionella. Further advice on this can be found at Chapter 4.15 of our Standards of Almshouse Management Guidance Manual.
In addition, you may want to take our online training course on Legionella –click here to access
Gas
safety checks are also important. The Health and Safety Executive has provided
the following guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Landlords have a legal duty to repair and maintain gas pipework, flues and appliances in a safe condition, to ensure an annual gas safety check on each appliance and flue, and to keep a record of each safety check.
If you anticipate difficulties in gaining access as the COVID-19 situation progresses, you have the flexibility to carry out annual gas safety checks two months before the deadline date. Landlords can have the annual gas safety checks at their properties carried out any time from 10 to 12 calendar months after the previous check and still retain the original deadline date as if the check had been carried out exactly 12 months after the previous check.
You are encouraged to arrange your annual gas safety checks as early as possible, as a contingency against tenants being in self-isolation for a period of 14 days (in line with current guidelines), or gas engineers being unavailable due to illness. The two-month period to carry out annual gas safety checks should provide adequate resilience in most situations.
In the event, you are unable to gain access to the property, e.g. persistent refusal of access due to vulnerable tenants self-isolating, you will be expected to be able to demonstrate that you took reasonable steps to comply with the law and that you are seeking to arrange the safety check as soon as all parties are able. This will need to include records of communication with the tenant, and details of your engineers attempt to gain access.
Health and Safety Executive As always, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate
to contact The Almshouse Association and we will be more than happy to assist.
Posted 7th July 2020
On July 1st The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into effect for new ‘specified tenancies’. Existing tenancies will not be affected until April 1st 2021.
Please look at our guidance below on what the new regulations require so that you are prepared:
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 new ‘specified tenancies’ from 1st July 2020 and all existing ‘specified tenancies’ from 1st April 2021. These regulations apply to almshouse charities.
Following the inspection and testing charities must:
obtain a written report from the person conducting
the inspection and test, which gives the results of the inspection and test and
the date of the next inspection and test; supply a copy of the report to each existing
resident of the residential premises within 28 days of the inspection and test; supply a copy of the report to the local housing
authority within 7 days of receiving a request in writing for it from that
authority; retain a copy of that report until the next
inspection and test is due and supply a copy to the person carrying out the
next inspection and test; and supply a copy of the most recent report to: any new resident of the ‘specified tenancy’ to
which the report relates before that resident occupies those premises; and any prospective resident within 28 days of
receiving a request in writing for it from that prospective resident. Any further investigative or remedial work identified in the
report should be carried out by a
qualified person(s) within 28 days, unless a shorter period is specified. The charity must obtain written confirmation
confirming that the investigative or remedial work carried out meets the electrical safety standards.
Full details of the legislation and ‘landlord’ responsibilities can be found here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2020/9780111191934
NOTE: These regulations only apply to charities operating in England
Posted 6 July 2020
This Rural Housing Week is likely to be dominated by the long term impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) recently discussed how a fall in property prices is likely to lead to a reduction in affordable housing in rural areas.
It seems ironic, but as many affordable housing is created through a levy on developers (Section 106), some developers are using a fall in property values as a way of opting out of supplying their affordable housing levy! This is a real concern as many people, young and old, decide to leave the towns and villages where they grew up, for places which are actually affordable. Local businesses lose custom, and these places lose their community cohesion.
The Almshouse Association believes that we have at least part of the solution to this problem. Almshouses are a one thousand year old answer to an age old question around truly affordable, community housing. Today some 36,000 people enjoy independent living in an almshouse community. Many people are not aware of almshouses or how they operate. Historically, almshouses have been started through the philanthropic ventures of a local wealthy individual. The accommodation provided is of genuine high-quality with a focus on community engagement and interaction. These are not just sets of housing which gentrify an area. Instead they are rooted in the communities they serve, with a focus on maintaining a level of affordable community housing in perpetuity by their exemption from Right to Buy. Residents do not pay rent but a Weekly Maintenance Contribution which is below the average rent in the area and helps to maintain the upkeep of the almshouse. Residents live independently in a supportive community where they otherwise would have struggled with lengthy council house waiting lists or extortionate private rent.
Almshouses are often well supported in rural areas under the
Rural Exception Scheme as they are restricted for those people of the local
community forever.
Around the country we see communities embracing almshouses and the benefits they bring. We are proud that many new developments are embracing environmentally friendly solutions, ensuring that the almshouses provide high-quality accommodation and are sustainable for the future.
We believe that almshouses are the ideal rural community housing solution. A solution for the benefits of the local community, led by the community.
Posted 6 July 2020