Agenda item

Councillor Harry Phibbs arrived at the beginning of this item.

Councillor Lisa Homan explained that residents had been unhappy with the re-organisation of the Wardens Service by the previous administration. She said that the council had listened to residents and that services for sheltered residents were getting better. Councillor Homan explained that the recently undertaken sheltered housing review had been about people rather than just bricks and mortar and that every resident had been surveyed as part of the review.

Jane Martin explained that the needs assessment which formed part of the review had given officers lots of information about what residents needed. Loneliness had been identified as an issue and housing staff had therefore worked with colleagues in adult social care to remodel the befriending service. The Sheltered Housing Service had achieved all of the targets in its improvement plan with staffing returned to normal levels, the guestroom policy being updated and the handyman service extended. A plan to improve the service further was being developed in response to the findings of the needs assessment.

Adrian van Zy said that he had been signposted towards sheltered housing by a doctor. He had been housed by the council and was very pleased with his new accommodation which both met his physical needs and allowed him many opportunities to meet new people and get involved in new things.

John Ryan said that there were lots of improvements being made in sheltered accommodation through the investment group; Pinnacle had even volunteered to build a Japanese Garden at one scheme. Marilyn Mackie said that it was important that maintenance was considered, as in her view there were already issues with grounds maintenance at sheltered schemes.

Pauline Hutchinson said that she felt the Sheltered Accommodation run by Hammersmith United Charities was of a very high standard and ought to be used as a model by the council. She was particularly impressed with the sense of community at the schemes.

Anthony Wood said that he felt sheltered schemes needed a proper staff presence rather than the visits from specialist housing officers. He felt that scheme managers ought to be employed to look after the welfare of residents and help to avoid them becoming lonely. Councillor Ivimy explained that she had been the cabinet member responsible for redesignating scheme managers as specialist housing officers but that this had been forced upon the council by changes to housing benefit rules. She had hoped that they would be able to continue to meet the welfare needs of residents in sheltered housing. Councillor Homan said that the recent needs assessment had been commissioned to ensure that services were targeted at those most in need. She said however that there was not sufficient money available to return to a system whereby dedicated scheme managers could be provided.

Nilavra Mukerji said that budgets were tight, ad that the government’s cut to social rents hadn’t helped this. Officers had been trying to bring in alternative resources, for example from adult social care, to help meet resident’s needs. Residents discussed the possibility of raising service charge levels to cover the cost of a better service. Nilavra Mukerji explained that any increase would have to be affordable for all residents. Anthony Wood said that he had discussed a range of options for bringing more money into the service, but that it was a very difficult area.

Tony Smallwood explained the difficulties of living in sheltered accommodation with an alcoholic in the same block. Councillor Phibbs asked whether the needs assessment included a figure for the number of alcoholics living in sheltered accommodation. Nilavra Mukerji explained that the question ‘are you an alcoholic’ was not easy to include in a survey. The needs assessment process had been agreed with colleagues from adult social care and where officers had more serious concerns these would be referred to adult social care. Those who needed support with alcoholism would be referred to appropriate agencies as soon as the issue was identified.

Gwen Cook said that cycle parking at sheltered schemes ought to be improved. Councillor Brown added that more parking for mobility scooters also needed to be provided. Nilavra Mukerji said that improving cycle parking on estates across the borough was something officers were looking to do, but that officers time was currently being spent on controlling parking on estates. The issue of providing parking for mobility scooters was more complicated as the spaces needed to be secure and not too far from a resident’s front door.

Councillor Phibbs asked how the waiting list for Sheltered Accommodation was prioritised. Jane Martin said that the waiting list was organised in accordance with the housing allocations scheme which included priority for medical needs, under occupancy and time on the waiting list. She explained that the average length of time spent on the waiting list for sheltered accommodation had been inflated by residents seeking a property in a particular scheme.

Anthony Wood said that he did not think there were 125 sheltered properties in the borough which met the lifetime homes standard. Nilavra Mukerji agreed to look into this statistic. He also clarified that the 100 people on the waiting list for sheltered housing were those who had expressed an interest in social housing; there were more people over 60 on the Housing Register but who did not wish to live in sheltered accommodation.

Roz O’Connell said that she felt it might be worth reviewing whether 60 was too young an age to allow residents to move into sheltered accommodation. Gwen Cook said that she felt having younger residents in schemes was vital to create mixed communities which did things together.

A resident asked what the budget for the handyperson scheme was and where that money came from. Nilavra Mukerji agreed to circulate this information with the minutes of the meeting.