We all understand that residents in supported housing are considered to be vulnerable. But that does not mean tenants in general needs housing have no additional needs, risk factors or complexity to their personal situation. Particularly in the wake of the Housing Ombudsman’s Spotlight report ‘relationship of equals’, it is clear we have work to do to ensure the diverse needs of all our tenants are respected and catered for.

The Regulator of Social Housing emphasises the importance of recognising tenants’ diverse needs in the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard and of appropriate adaptations in the Safety and Quality Standard. They, too, expect general needs housing providers to avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach and to consider how they meet the needs of vulnerable residents.

Drawing on work from across the sector and case studies from a recent HQN event on diverse needs, this briefing focuses on understanding of what it means to be vulnerable and how we can shape our services to account for those vulnerabilities.