Working together to produce a Supported Housing Strategy for Dorset

Dorset Council is to produce its first comprehensive Supported Housing Strategy to meet the needs of our residents.

The Strategy aims to empower residents with support or care needs to live independently and recover from crises, prevent homelessness and reduce pressure on social services, ensuring residents have access to necessary support services.

It is designed to assess the supported housing that people need, now and in the future. It will map current supply, work with partners and align with our work around homelessness, social care and planning.

It will cover a range of housing, including sheltered/retirement housing, supported living, mental health supported accommodation, domestic abuse refuges, homeless hostels, move on accommodation, offender rehabilitation housing, substance misuse recovery housing and our care leavers offer.

Work to produce the strategy will be led by specialists from the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN) and will include a needs assessment informed by data that maps all supported housing supply and forecasts demand over the next ten years.

There will be extensive engagement with health and social care partners across Dorset, our housing providers, support providers, community interest and user representation groups.

Councillor Gill Taylor, Cabinet Portfolio lead for Housing and Health, said the Strategy was an important development for the council: “This will enable us to get the right service in the right place at the right time.”

“It will give the market more confidence to deliver the accommodation we need for our residents,” she added.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) requires us to publish a five year Supported Housing Strategy by 31 March, 2027, with updates at least every five years. We will report back to MHCLG on progress on an annual basis.