Latest Commissions

Walsall 2006

Walsall Adapted Housing Service commissioned Grunden consulting to carry out three pieces of work to assist with the setting up of the Service:
1. a disability impact assessment
2. provision of software to facilitate matching of accessible accommodation with disabled people who need such accommodation (an Accessible/Disability Housing Register)
3. training in operation of the software.

2006 Preston

This was a review of the need for and methods for delivering housing adaptations in Preston and an assessment of the resources available. A range of tasks were completed to produce the report, prepared to reflect the stated aims for the project, detailed in the project brief. A social model approach was specified.

The methodology included
> Desk top research of official figures of health, welfare and housing agencies
> A sample questionnaire survey of disabled people
> Research to identify resources available for the provision of housing adaptations
> Establishment of an embryonic disability housing register (DHR)

Stated principles on which to base an ideal adaptations service
> Equality and fairness for all, irrespective of age, impairment or lifestyle (including housing tenure)
> Balancing the importance of providing for people’s needs with the scarcity of resources and the requirement to improve stock condition
> Consistency, clarity and transparency
> Integrity with other key policies affecting disabled and older people such as those for provision of equipment services and re-housing where this is the optimum solution for the household

Initial proposals for reform
It was clear that there is a definite shortfall in financial resources to meet the need for housing adaptations. Various proposals were suggested that could all have some impact, including:

1. Utilise the potential offered by the disability housing register.
2. Incorporate Lifetime Homes standards in all new build and into improvement programmes wherever possible; adopt a target of 10% of new developments to be built to wheelchair standard
3. Adopt a self assessment approach to the provision of minor adaptations, that is treat them as day to day or responsive repairs.
4. Introduce a Partnership Framework approach to the joint funding of major adaptations with housing associations/RSLs.
5. Use the transfer of stock from Preston City Council to the Community Gateway Partnership as an opportunity to review the operation of policy and practice.
6. Carry out a review of information provided to service users.

London Accessible Housing Register April 2006

The London Accessible Housing Register (AHR) Pilot was launched by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in April 2006.

The aims of the London AHR, which incorporates the social model of disability, are
• to deliver high quality housing information, informed choice and mobility across London for disabled people
• to ensure that accessible and adapted housing is used more effectively to meet the needs of disabled people.

The key partners in the project are the GLA, the Association of London Government (ALG), the Housing Corporation and London Housing Federation. There is already support for the project from a wide range of organisations, including London Boroughs and disabled organisations in London.

the GLA have commissioned Home Connections to develop the key elements of the AHR.

These include the development of policies, best practice, data specifications and systems/procedures, which will inform the Capital Moves project. The Home Connections team includes experts in choice based lettings (CBL) and mobility, accessible housing registers and the social model of disability.

The development of CBL systems and AHRs provide the opportunity to give disabled people more choice in how their housing needs and preferences are met. Furthermore, by applying the social model of disability, the wider social and community issues that have an impact on disabled people because of the particular barriers they face can be taken into account.

Key elements of the AHR project are:
> To pilot an approach for social landlords to:
> identify needs of disabled people
> develop high quality standardised information about the needs of disabled people that can be used to allocate accessible and adapted housing
> To identify gaps, promote and signpost information, advice, support and advocacy for disabled people in housing need
> To develop ways of advertising and marketing private sector housing options for disabled people

In the first stage of the pilot all London boroughs and housing associations will be surveyed about their current approach to accessible housing.

The project will be completed in December 2006. A fundamental part of this project will be to pilot some aspects of the London AHR in current Choice Based Lettings (CBL) schemes at borough and sub-regional level. However, the full operation of the London AHR is dependent on the completion of the overarching ICT system, which will be developed by the Capital Moves project.

Ginnie is providing consultancy and social model guidance to the project.

Choice based lettings are an approach to the allocation of social rented housing that seeks to replicate the best of the private sector. CBL began in Harborough, followed by a number of pilots including Bradford, Blackburn with Darwen and Camden. There are three CBL schemes in London, Home Connections, Locata and the East London Lettings Company. The Government wishes to see CBL rolled out country-wide by 2010.

Project for Elevate East Lancashire (Market Renewal Pathfinder) 2006

The overall purpose of the work carried out for Elevate was to provide clear messages to the partners in the Elevate MRP initiative. The intention was to assist with construction, refurbishment and future planning to meet the housing and related support needs of disabled and older people in the Pathfinder.

Disabled and older people’s needs with respect to housing and related support are themselves quite complex. Consequently, making any assessment of the needs of disabled and older people and providing for them are themselves complex and difficult tasks.

The project successfully sought to quantify these needs, using existing data. However, there were a number of barriers to providing a complete picture, including:
I. Lack of consistent data across the five districts and county hampered the ability to produce reliable forecasts of need and supply for housing and related support for older and disabled people in the MRP.
II. There are a number of different sources producing a range of predictions.

Among the project’s outcomes were the following
1. All new build in the Pathfinder to be constructed to Lifetime Homes standards (details provided).
2. All rehabilitation is carried out to meet the same standards as far as is feasible and practicable (detailed standards provided)
3. A target of between eight and ten per cent of new housing built to wheelchair standard is adopted within the Pathfinder intervention areas, depending on local topography and with increases in localities where the topography is suitable
4. In addition, space for storage and re-charging of scooters is provided in all new build schemes
5. Four disability impact assessments carried out
6. Two meetings of a reference group including representation from the five local housing authorities and Lancashire County Council, home improvement agencies and local organisations of and for disabled and older people considered and commented on the key messages emerging from the work carried out so far on strategic disability housing issues.

Disability disability impact assessment of allocations and adaptations policy and practice for Bedford Borough Council 2005

Bedford Borough Council, an authority in the East region, commissioned a short review of allocations and adaptations policy and practice in 2005. The Borough Council had transferred its stock to Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association on 1 April 1997. There was a service level agreement for the administration and operation of the housing register and allocation scheme that was in its third issue (1 November 03).

In common with the majority of strategic housing authorities, the council had a detailed allocation scheme that reflected local circumstances and was regularly reviewed to keep pace with changes in Government policy as they are implemented. The disability impact assessment (called a diagnostic appraisal) gave constructive feedback with suggestions on improvements that could be effected to benefit disabled and older applicants. It checked compliance with the latest law and guidance on disability discrimination and sound housing practice. It was not intended to be a comprehensive critique of every aspect of the policy.

The disability impact assessment/diagnostic appraisal included a number of detailed recommendations about inclusive language and presentation, the housing register application form, the system for awarding priority to applicants and the adaptations process. It also included recommendations around setting up a disability housing register and the setting up of a Steering Group to take this forward, including representation from local organisations of disabled people.

To discuss your requirements please contact Ginnie Shaw