Home ownership in the UK for people with intellectual disabilities

Home ownership in the UK for people with intellectual disabilities • Ken Simons ,Norah Fry Research Centre • Based on report called ‘Pushing open the Door’. • Supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation • Pictures by Change

A failure to give the right advice: the story of Mavis • ‘I know they used to look after us - buy us clothes ad take us on holidays and all that - but, I wouldn’t want to go back there no more’ • ‘Mavis Jones’ after leaving residential care for own flat. • Mavis had some money. We should have suggested she buy her home!

Some UK Housing Context • Most (2/3rds) UK citizens own their own home. There is little or no rented housing in some communities • Government subsidies for home ownership for low income families… • ..but there is still significant support for a ‘social housing for rent… and • ‘Housing Benefit’ provides significant support for the rented sector

Some context and people with intellectual disabilities • Very few people live in their own home • Most public provision for people takes the form of ‘residential care: • congregate • provides fewer rights • housing and support entangled • relies on ‘special’ and limited funding mechanisms (no Housing Benefit)

..and….. • there is a significant shortfall in provision (of whatever form) • the group that has probably lost out most are those who continue to live in the family home • very few people have access to direct payments to manage the support they get at home.

Home ownership and people with learning difficulties • Most ownership through inheriting property. But…. • 1995- did find • a couple earning enough to buy a home • a couple using welfare benefits to pay a mortgage • 1996- Nigel King’s Ownership Options report • six examples of different approaches to home ownership

Housing Options • A small independent advisory service designed to help open up housing and support choices for people with learning difficulties, providing: • information and advice to families, advocates, and individual professionals supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities • technical advice and consultancy for agencies interested in innovation • families and other supporters organisations

What did people want help with?

Advice provided about: • a very wide range of issues… • …but particularly… • ownership (including ‘shared’ ownership) • renting (tenancy agreements and access to social housing) • Housing Benefit and the use of welfare benefits to cover the interest on a home loan

..as well as: • legal issues (including legal capacity and the use of Trusts) • getting support organised (finding appropriate providers, assessments and ‘care management’)

‘Shared’ ownership? • Part buying, part renting • An eligible individual approaches a housing agency that offers shared ownership • he or she identifies a suitable property • the agency buys the property (usually using subsidy) • and sells a share to the individual • the individuals gets a loan for their share, and pays rent on the rest

The 4 keys issues and shared ownership • Covering the costs of buying • combinations of help from families, ‘soft loans’ from agencies (some ‘unofficial’), and some 100% loans • Paying continuing cost of ownership • use Housing Benefit to cover rent • use additional welfare benefits (Income Support) to cover the interest on the home loan

Cont….. • Maintaining the property over the longer term • built-in relationship with housing organisation • with the right legal agreements in place, Housing Benefit may cover some maintenance costs • Income Support may provide additional loans for repairs. • Managing crises • very flexible with built-in risk sharing

and the disadvantages... • To use benefit route you have to be eligible for Income Support • effectively rules out working unless earning enough to replace most housing costs • You are not the sole owner! • The use of Government subsidies brings many restrictions

Outright ownership • We did find a few examples (all in Scotland) • Combination of innovative agency (Inclusion Glasgow) plus specialist advice had meant: • ownership used as part of closure of an institution… • ...for people with very considerable support needs • ...using ‘sleeping equity’ from a National Health Service Agency

Some significant successes • By late 1999 able to identify around a hundred individuals now owning homes, with expectations for more to follow • though much larger numbers coming through ‘programmes’, rather than individual professionals or families doing it on their own. • risk that some people are in the programme because ‘its there’, rather than because home ownership is the best option for them

But... • Equally clear that the provision of information and advice (no matter how good) will only take you so far: ‘Advice undoubtedly right in principle, but getting local services to accept it or act on it the problem’.

Or slightly less politely... ‘Someone who could have put a laxative up the bowels of social services would have been a boon’

Particular difficulties included: • the complexity: • getting the housing sorted(loan, benefits, buying costs, etc) • with a support provider • and a care manager... …lined up in the same place, at the same time, and pointing in the same direction took a lot of determination and persistence

Other barriers: • the lack of local information about what is possible (as opposed to available) • a reluctance of commissioners to consider alternatives to residential care • concerns about the costs/affordability of supported living • lack of local expertise

...barriers (cont.) • some ideological opposition to home ownership • concerns about legal capacity • worries about ‘unregulated services’ • little strategic planning for change • direct payments still a limited option for people with learning difficulties

So…. If we really want to change things we will need to: • promote self-determination • develop more extensive independent information and advice. • achieve some significant systems change • ensure sufficient resources • use existing resources more flexibly and efficiently

…and... • explore idea of mortgage products geared to people’s needs • ensure the housing needs of people with learning difficulties are reflected in housing plans • promote better commissioning of support, including developing more effective strategic planning at a local level. • explore and develop ideas through strategic demonstration projects

For further information • E-mail me: • k.r.simons@bristol.ac.uk • or Nigel King: • Nigel@hoptions.org.uk • Web sites: • http://www.hoptions.org.uk/ • http://www.paradigm-uk.org.uk/ • http://www.bristol.ac.uk/Depts/NorahFry/

Home ownership in the UK for people with intellectual disabilities