By John Verge, Chief Executive of Golden Lane Housing and Chair of the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network

The release of the long-awaited white paper on social care – People at the heart of care – marks a significant moment for the supported housing sector.

The government’s 10-year vision for social care provides a real opportunity and responsibility for housing providers to play a key role, alongside local health and care commissioners and support providers, to deliver more transformational supported housing in people’s own communities.

Golden Lane Housing has been supporting people with a learning disability and autism move into supported housing across the UK since the late 1990s.

While person-centred housing options have increased, demand continues to vastly outstrip supply and there are still thousands living in hospitals and even more living with older parents and carers who want their own independence.

A key important message in the white paper is that every decision about care should be a decision about housing. There are numerous examples across the social housing sector where integrated housing and care solutions have delivered real, positive outcomes.

One of our tenants, Joni, agreed to share her story in the white paper. After years of living in a hospital she now lives successfully in her own home with the right level of support. Unfortunately, the same opportunities have not been there for everyone in similar need.

Earlier this year the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network, a coalition of housing associations, launched our charter to address the many barriers to increasing the supply of supported housing.

We called upon government to create the conditions for strategic planning, increase the levels of capital grant funding, and provide long-term revenue funding certainty.

For too long the lack of coherent national and local strategies has often resulted in reactive, expensive, and poor provision.

For too long the amount of funding and level of grants have not been sufficient to provide affordable supported housing for people with a learning disability and autism.

For too long housing providers and tenants have lived under the constant threat of future changes to housing benefit.

It is therefore encouraging that the government acknowledges some of these issues in the white paper and appears to have a desire to work with the sector to address them in the long term.

There continues to be major systemic issues within social care that the government needs to address to help deliver this vision.

The provision of new quality supported housing is dependent on proactive social care planning, increased social care funding, and a sustainable workforce to deliver the vital care and support in people’s own homes.

Some readers of the white paper may have been surprised to see the prominent role housing has in the government’s vision for social care.

But those of us who have worked in the supported housing sector for any length of time will have witnessed the important part and difference suitable housing can make to support people to live independently for as long as possible.

The proposals represent an exciting opportunity for us to work even closer with our social care and health colleagues.

It will be incumbent on our sector to hold the government to account on their vision, and ensure people are at the heart of this change to ensure their desires and needs are listened to and met.