Les’ blog – working together to benefit our tenants

“RWP is a founder member of the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network (LDAHN) which was established five years ago to unite providers of supported living, with an aim of raising the voice of our tenants to influence the sector. The LDAHN is now comprised of 25 housing providers, who are all working together, on advocating for quality housing for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Leaders from member organisations came together recently to work through a varied agenda of operational and strategic issues impacting us currently. The session allowed for open discussion and problem-solving, with the unique benefit of tapping into experiences from smaller and larger providers.  

From this session, and other interactions I’ve had, the current areas of interest for RWP and providers that are similar to us are as follows:

The new consumer standards

Implementation of the new consumer standards is important, so that we can better understand the needs of tenants and ensure equitable access. In this area, the language of vulnerability is contested but has become quite mainstream. Our tenants are clear with us that vulnerable is not a description that they easily identify with. Furthermore, there is a recognition that while data is important to design housing services around needs, it is only part of the overall conversation to truly provide a person-centred approach.  

The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023

Preparing for changes emerging from the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 is a current focus in the sector. The most immediate change concerns the power to be given to local authorities under the Act to introduce supported housing licensing schemes. The detail of this is being developed with consultation expected to commence soon. We are keen to contribute to shaping the regulations and guidance.

Development and growth  

Working through the challenges of trying to deliver new homes, which includes recognising the higher development cost per unit of supported housing over other tenures.  There is more reliance on various flavours of private and institution capital in the supported living market than in general needs housing. Research commissioned by the Learning Disabilities & Autism Housing Network (LDAHN) in 2023 estimated that around 2,000 new units per annum would be required until 2037 to keep up with current demand.

RWP’s commitment to quality housing 

RWP is committed to continuing to provide high quality affordable homes. By joining forces with other providers we can ensure the needs of our tenants are given a louder voice in the sector.”