Mental Health and Housing

6th March 2015

Antonia Forte

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Overview• The need for change• The housing and mental health interface• August 2014– Prevention Through Early Intervention• What’s happened since?

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The need for change• 1 in 4 experience mental health problems at some point• 1 in 14 over 65 years and 1 in 6 over 80 years has a from of dementia• 2 per cent of people will have a severe mental illness• Stigmatised – 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems• Not always noticeable; interrelated with other things

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Housing and mental health • Frequent reason for tenancy breakdown• Larger proportion of people living in social housing• …3 times more likely to be unhappy with housing• …4 times more likely “housing makes health worse”•Good housing critical to mental health and well being• Lack of settled accommodation can hamper recovery• Wrong type of accommodation can hamper recovery and cause problems for others• Not just about finding a home/accommodation… without support – repeated problems

[Source: NHF 2011] 4

Prevention through early intervention: Helping people with Mental Health Problems to find and keep a home”

• Effective Services for Vulnerable Groups Board• Multi-agency/stakeholder project• Nine recommendations•Wales.gov.uk/topics/improvingservices/psig/nwp/effectiveservices

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Assessment and evidence • Take better account of the needs of people with

mental health problems in Local Housing Market Assessments• Improved data collection

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Practice and joint working • Joint working to improve housing allocation systems

• Supporting People Programme - better balance between fixed and floating support• Training to raise awareness of dual diagnosis pathways and services• Greater interaction between housing and health staff to increase mutual understanding

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Piloting new approaches • Greater use of “top-up” funding by Local health

Boards where it can reduce demands on health services, particularly high-cost in-patient services• Regional pilot of “top up” funding

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So What’s Happened Since • Disseminating findings

• Turning findings into action• Turning action into change• Proving it - evidence

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Progress report to ESVGB on 25th February 2015

•Updates on housing included in Local Mental Health Partnership Boards annual reports from 2014•WG strengthened guidance on aspects of mental health in Allocation of Accommodation for the Homeless currently out for consultation.•As from 2015/16, WG will require that CMH teams are consulted about Supporting People Commissioning plans

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Progress report to ESVGB on 25th February 2015

•Innovative work at C&V and Vale of Glam has been explored further resulting in a proposal for a scheme evaluation. Key aim of evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of this project in order to learn lessons than can be applied to future service design. Evaluation to run April – Sept 2015.

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Making sure this make a difference

•ESVG Board agreed to undertake a further perceptions survey in three years’ time to assess whether there has been a real change.

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