Agenda item

Housing and how it contributes to the Health Agenda

Minutes:

The Housing Advice Team Leader presented a report and gave a presentation updating Members on the work of the Housing and Homelessness advice service and how it’s work contributed to the health agenda. The Housing Advice Team Leader advised that by integrating the Housing and Health services the Council provided a holistic preventative service based on individual needs. He updated Members on how the Council was responding to challenges of implementing the benefit cap. The Benefit Cap was affecting over 116 households in in the district with the loss of income ranging from £5 to £146 per week. The HERO (Housing, Energy and Retraining Options) Officers, Housing and Healthy Living Officers, were working to address the wider determinants of health such as housing, debt, employment, training, mental wellbeing, ill health prevention, local environment and social isolation.

 

The Housing Advice Team Leader informed the Board that a new 6 month pilot initiative would be running shortly in partnership with St. John’s Medical Centre in Sevenoaks; to provide patients registered with the practice one-to-one advisors to support them with lifestyle, housing, financial  and  mental wellbeing advice. He outlined three case studies of service users in the district who had benefited from HERO’s integrated approach to providing care. The first case involved a 64 year old widower who was struggling with alcohol dependency, health problems and poor housing conditions. By working closer with the GP, the Council was able to intervene to prevent the situation escalating and the service user becoming homeless.

 

In second case study the involved a 24 year old blind man with visual impairments, autism, literacy problems and living in poor housing and under threat of eviction. By working closely with St. John’s Medical Centre the Council was able prevent the eviction, provide the service user with mental health supported housing and clear his arrears.

 

The last case study involved a 40 year old ex serviceman who couldn’t cope with life as a civilian suffering from mental health difficulties, alcohol problems and debts. In this case the HERO Officer was able to help with debt advice, supported him  into a 1 bedroom flat and provided him with a referral to ‘Combat Stress’ who diagnosed him with PTSD. Although the service user was still classified as unfit to work, he was involved in a volunteering scheme and had markedly improved.

 

Members noted that ex servicemen were particularly vulnerable to mental health and social wellbeing problems and discussed how the Council could be more proactive in servicing their needs.

 

The Housing Advice Team leader informed Members that a Hospital Discharge 9 month pilot scheme with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Maidstone Borough Council was underway and a Housing Co-originator was working as part of the Hospital Discharge Team at Tunbridge Wells Hospital to help with non-medical issues to get people home quicker.

 

In response to questions the Housing Advice Team Leader advised that St. John’s medical centre was being used as the pilot as they had shown an interest in the scheme through the Clinical Commissioning Group. St. John’s area was an area that was a mix of affluent and deprived. There were three ways in which patients could use the service: Self referral, by the GP or by letters that were being circulated to groups identified by the practice. If the St. John’s pilot was successful it would be put forward to other practices.

 

Resolved: That the report be noted.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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