tenancy sustainment - chartered institute of housing pdfs/presentations/se practitioners... · duty...

Tenancy Sustainment

Policy Statement

The Hyde Group is committed to making a lasting difference to the day-to-day lives of our residents by supporting them to live independently, sustain their tenancy and prevent them becoming socially excluded.

The purpose of identifying potential vulnerability is to ensure that the service provided is wherever possible tailored to meet the needs of the individual.

People will have different needs at different times and each resident’s experiences will be different, requiring a range of flexible responses.

Role of Tenancy Sustainment • To assess individual circumstances and determine if

a resident is potentially vulnerable and to record information accurately and securely

• To offer appropriate tailored services to vulnerable residents

• To provide additional services that enable vulnerable residents to maintain their tenancy and live independently

• To have effective procedures and processes in place to identify potentially vulnerable residents for referral to external agencies

Identifying Vulnerable Residents

Who would you consider to be potentially

vulnerable?

Identifying Vulnerable Residents - STATUS

• Mental Health Needs

• Learning Difficulties

• Severe physical health problems

• Disability

• Tenant under 18

• Leaving care (under 25)

• First Year of Tenancy

• Threatened by ASB

• Threatened by Domestic Abuse

• Threatened by Harassment or Hate Crime

• Low Income (>£12,000)

• Alcohol or Substance Misuse

• History of Street Homelessness

• Refugee or Asylum Seeker

• Ex-offender (unspent offence)

• Ex-services

• Young lone parent under 25

• Child aged 5 or under in household

• Pregnancy

• Person of Pensionable Age

• Recently bereaved (12 months)

• Hoarder


What else would have to be taken into account to

define someone as vulnerable?

Identifying Vulnerable Residents Functional Ability

• Self neglect

• Unable to perform self care tasks

• Difficulty with significant daily tasks

• Significant problems with finances or budgeting

• No previous experience managing independent housing

• Chaotic lifestyle

• Severely impaired mobility

• Language or literacy difficulties

• Physical frailty

• Hoarding

• Overcrowded/under occupied

Support Networks

• Lives alone

• Parent/Carer unable to provide support with presenting problem

• Involvement with Social Services

• None or inadequate support network

Recognising and identifying Vulnerable Residents

•Status + One criterion in at least one of the two remaining categories

• Status

•Functional Ability &/or •Current Support Networks


• A consistent approach for recognising & identifying potentially vulnerable residents

• An indicator of potential vulnerability does not mean a resident needs an enhanced service:

• it is an alert to make a judgement or alert other staff who will encounter this person

Why do we use this table of criteria?

Health & Safety Further Definition of Acute Vulnerability

Hyde also makes the following definition of “acute vulnerability”: “Acute vulnerability is applied to an individual or household

that needs enhanced services or intense support in order to maintain their immediate health, safety and/or security”

This is not intended to offer further definitive categorisation

of a person or household, but to support a commonly understood sense of urgency amongst our socially aware and caring professionals in shaping services or offering an intervention that is needed immediately.

Health & Safety Further Definition of Acute Vulnerability

Tighter definition for Property Services

Provides priority access to Property Services

e.g. Heating, repairs, decoration of voids

– Severe physical or mental health problems, debilitating illness or disability, including learning difficulties

– Unable to perform self-care tasks

– Physical frailty, including the elderly

– Pre-school child in the household

– Recommendation made by Tenancy Sustainment Officer

Duty of Care

• A requirement that a person act toward others with watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in the circumstances would.

• If a person's actions do not meet this standard of care, then the acts may be considered negligent.

• From welfare through to safeguarding

Referrals made to Tenancy Sustainment by:

Self referral made through: Customer Services & Reception

Housing Officer

Income Officer

Resident Engagement

Hyde Plus

Regional Management Consultation

External Agencies

The TSCO Model - Providing An Enhanced Service

Housing Officer

Income Officer

Lettings Officer

Repairs

External Agencies

Customer Services

Resident Engagement

Hyde Plus

Regeneration Co-ordinator

The TSCO Model - Providing An Enhanced Service

Housing Officer

Income Officer

Lettings Officer

Repairs

External Agencies

Customer Services

Resident Engagement

Hyde Plus

Regeneration Co-ordinator

Safeguarding Welfare

ASB Domestic Abuse

The role of the Tenancy Sustainment Officer

• Effective delivery of Vulnerable Residents policy and procedure

• Enable the support of vulnerable residents

• Effective partnership working with internal services

• Lead advisor - incidents involving Hate Crime, Harassment & DA

• Working in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies

• Co-ordinate and monitor safeguarding referrals held by Housing Officers

• Ensuring that wherever possible residents are supported to remain in their home

• Support colleagues to mitigate the impacts of overcrowding, under-occupation and Welfare Reform

TSO

Hyde

Social Services

Police Mental Health Professionals

Substance Misuse

Advice & Support

Schools & Health visitors

Learning difficulties

support

Health Professionals

Food Banks

Welfare Funds

Work & Learning

Elderly Person

Support

Working in Partnership

Case Study 1

• Young woman with learning difficulties, living in a 3 bed house after her parents died.

• The house had not been accessed since 1975, and was in a state of disrepair. The house was classed under Hoarding as Extreme. The young woman was only living in a space big enough for a sofa, which she slept on. The kitchen was cramped and fresh food dating over 6 months was being consumed from the fridge. The bathroom was full of dirty laundry and allowed access only to the toilet.

• The cats and dog in the house were not properly toilet trained.

• The house had never been cleaned. • She had fallen into rent arrears due to under-occupation. • Social Services provided a support worker 3 hrs per week.

Case Study 1 - Status

• Status – learning difficulties, first year of tenancy, recently bereaved, hoarder

Case Study 1 –Functional Ability


• Functional Ability - Unable to perform self care tasks, difficulty with significant daily tasks, no previous experience of successfully managing independent housing, hoarding

Case Study 1 – Network Support


• Functional Ability - Unable to perform self care tasks, difficulty with significant daily tasks, no previous experience of successfully managing independent housing, hoarding

• Support Networks - Lives alone, involvement with Social Services, current carers unable to provide support with hoarding situation

Case Study 1 - Outcome

• An assessment was made for under-occupation and Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) applied for from Local Authority.

• To comply with DHP terms, name added to Housing Register and began searching for smaller property.

• Support given to clear house ready to down-size. • Support given to resettle in one bed property • Helping Hands Fund / LAN provided essential

replacement furniture and removal costs. • Local church befriended & dog training provided. • One cat re-homed to reduce to 2 animals in the home.

Case Study 2

• Married woman, victim of Domestic Abuse for 20 years until a serious assault ended with her in hospital. During the trial the husband was bailed not to return to the marital home.

• Once the case was over the husband resumed visits with the son, although the older daughter refused.

• One day the husband announced he was moving home, and he was still joint tenant and was entitled since he was no longer bound by bail conditions.


• Status – threatened by domestic abuse

Case Study 2 – Functional Ability


• Functional Ability – NA

Case Study 2 – Network Support


• Functional Ability – NA

• Support Networks – inadequate support networks or advice


• Resident linked in with Worth Services Domestic Abuse Support/allocated support worker

• Advice given and signposting to obtain free legal support to apply for an injunction and a court hearing

• The Court granted the resident sole tenancy which denied the partner further access to the home

Case Study 3

• Elderly gentleman phoned customer services to complain he had no TV after digital switch over. Funds were found and TV Engineer installed aerial but reported back squalid conditions.

• Assessment was made and gentleman was found to be living in one room, with the water supply switched off. The kitchen was full of broken cookers, fridges and microwaves.

• The flat was stacked with broken furniture and the entrance hallway blocked with several old mattresses.

• He had limited vision, was clearly under the influence of alcohol quite early in the day, and was in a lot of pain with his back/hips. He was not registered with a GP or Optician.

• He lived in a 2nd floor flat and complained he could hardly manage the stairs.

• The flat was extremely dirty.

• At assessment we found he was an ex-gentleman of the road


• Status – Severe physical health problems, alcohol misuse, history of street homelessness, ex-services, person of pensionable age



• Functional Ability – self neglect,

unable to person self care tasks,

difficulty with significant daily tasks,

chaotic lifestyle, severely impaired mobility, sensory impairment

Case Study 3 – Support Networks


• Functional Ability – self neglect, unable to person self care tasks, difficulty with significant daily tasks, chaotic lifestyle, severely impaired mobility, sensory impairment

• Support networks – lives alone, carers unable to provide support with current problems


• We registered him with an Optician who referred him to a GP with serious concerns for his health.

• We linked him to Family Mosaic who helped him register with a GP, and provided assistance seeking support with housework & shopping.

• We signed him onto the Housing Register so he was able to move into sheltered housing: into an ground floor flat.

• Helping Hands provided funds to move & carpets.

• SSAFA provided funds for essential furniture.

Case Study 4

• New resident, 55 year old man, moving into an empty flat. Previous 5 years spent sofa-surfing between daughters’ homes following a divorce. Recently diagnosed with life limiting illness, and receiving chemotherapy treatment but out of the local area (where lived with one daughter). Basic JSA benefits, and no experience of claiming benefits before.

• No furniture, except for a camp bed and a kettle.


• Status – Severe physical health problems, first year of tenancy, low income



• Functional Ability - Significant problems with finances or budgeting, Difficulty with significant daily tasks, Physical frailty

Case Study 4 – Support Networks


• Functional Ability - Significant problems with finances or budgeting, Difficulty with significant daily tasks, Physical frailty

• Support Networks - carers unable to provide support with current problems, lives alone


• We were able to provide this gentleman with essential furniture through the Local Authority Network Fund – bed, wardrobe, drawers, sofa, fridge, freezer.

• The Hyde Helping Hands Fund provided a microwave, and Hospital Travel Costs until transferred to local hospital for chemotherapy treatment.

• Hyde Plus (Financial Inclusion & Benefit Service) assisted claiming Disability Living Allowance for Terminal Illness and advised on Debt Management.

• At the final stages of his illness he was supported by the MacMillan Nurses and the local hospice

Case Study 5

• Elderly man with much younger, same-sex partner. The young man was reported at drinking to excess and supplying/using drugs. He was staying over on a regular basis, preventing support services entering the flat, and was causing a nuisance late at night with loud music.

• The flat was in a state of disorder, there were no sheets or bedding, the elderly gentleman was frequently collapsing and admitted to hospital by ambulance.

• The diagnosis from the hospital was exhaustion and lack of nutritious food.

Case Study 5 -Status

• STATUS –


• STATUS – person of pensionable age, alcohol substance misuse, threatened by domestic abuse, severe physical health problems, complaints of ASB

• FUNCTIONAL ABILITY – self neglect, unable to perform self care tasks, difficulty with significant daily tasks, chaotic lifestyle, severely impaired mobility, physical frailty

Case Study 5 - Support Networks

• STATUS – person of pensionable age, alcohol substance misuse, threatened by domestic abuse, severe physical health problems, complaints of ASB

• FUNCTIONAL ABILITY – self neglect, unable to perform self care tasks, difficulty with significant daily tasks, chaotic lifestyle, severely impaired mobility, physical frailty

• SUPPORT NETWORKS – partner and carers unable to provide support with current issues, self isolating, lives alone


• A meeting was held with the resident without the partner present for a client led plan for resolution – seeking his wishes and opinion on the situation.

• The resident confided that they had been together for 20 years but he no longer had the stamina to drink to excess and stay up late. He was reluctantly paying for the partner’s drug supply.

• The resident wanted home help, but they had stopped visiting due to the intimidating behaviour of the partner.

• An Acceptable Behaviour Contract was drawn up to limit the visits of the partner. This allowed the elderly gentleman to have a home help 2 hours in the mornings and to retire to bed at a suitable hour. He also accepted meals on wheels.

• The failure to comply would mean potential eviction, which seems harsh but it allowed the gentleman to pass the reason for restricting his partner’s visits to someone else.

Case Study - Overview Examples of Partnership Services

• Tenancy Sustainment & Housing Officer • Anti Social Behaviour Team & Police • Family Mosaic – managing personal support • SSAFA – charitable funding • Worth Services – Domestic Abuse Support • GP & Optician - Medical Services • TV Aerial Contractor - • Solicitors – Legal Advice • Family & Friends – valuable support

The Tenancy Sustainment Model • The TSO Role is modelled around providing

links to enhanced services, both internally and externally, to ensure our most Vulnerable Residents have an opportunity to receive the support they need in sustaining their tenancies and in resolving crisis.

• The ASSESSMENT is an important tool in the delivery of an enhanced service vulnerable residents

• Working in partnership internally & externally is essential in the delivery of Tenancy Sustainment

Tenancy Sustainment

Over to you................

tenancy sustainment - chartered institute of housing pdfs/presentations/se practitioners... · duty...

Documents