representatives of the 5 consortium members

Ability Housing is part of a new housing consortium that is set to provide 800 new affordable homes in London and the South East.

The Thames Valley Housing Consortium, officially launched in London on 20th January, will deliver 801 new homes by March 2015.

The consortium is made up of 5 Registered Providers. They are Ability Housing Association, Bracknell Forest Homes, Inquilab Housing Association, Richmond Housing Partnership plus lead partner Thames Valley Housing. Together they have entered into a £15.7 million delivery agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency as part of its Affordable Homes Programme.

Thames Valley Housing will provide 401 of the 801 new homes to be delivered by the consortium and Ability will provide 27 homes. The 27 new Ability homes will provide supported housing in the London region and will include a minimum of 6 full wheelchair standard homes.

Steven Hurrell, Ability’s Partnerships and Development Director said “We have worked with Thames Valley Housing Association for many years on joint schemes and were delighted to be asked to join the consortium. This will provide Ability with the opportunity to secure funding to deliver further supported and specialist housing in London. We look forward to working in partnership with Thames Valley Housing Association and the members of the consortium”

A recent report produced by disabled people called Responsible Reform (also known as “The Spartacus Report”) has shown how the Government has failed to address concerns raised by disabled people about changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Data was obtained through Freedom of Information requests that showed the full extent of disagreement with the Governments proposals. The Welfare Reform Bill vote on DLA is due on 17 January.

Mr Williams said “following the Government defeat on ESA there is a distinct possibility of a further defeat on DLA. The Government should take note and pause its reforms to properly consider their impact on some of our most vulnerable citizens”.

The Responsible Reform document has gained a great deal of attention, thanks to prominent celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Tim Minchin tweeting links to the Spartacus Report. Mr Williams thinks this marks a significant milestone in disability campaigning.

He said “Social Media provides a quick and effective way for campaigners to get their message across. This has helped influence peers in the Lords vote and the Government can expect further problems if it does not pay proper attention to consultation feedback”.

You can read the Responsible Reform document here: http://dlahelpgroup.com/downloads/Responsible%20Reform.pdf

You can follow David Williams on Twitter @DavidatAbility

Three former tenants of Layton House tell their stories, below:

Michael has bought his own flat and is about to move in.

“I have never had my own flat before so this is a totally new experience. When I first got those keys in my hand I felt like a new person. Layton House had its moments!

“Overall it has been worthwhile and the support I had has been good. I have learnt to do the things I need to do, like getting up, going shopping and basically keeping myself occupied. I can’t wait to be in my new flat. The first thing I will do is open all of the windows and get some fresh air in. Then I will unpack, make myself a nice cup of coffee and relax.”

Clare is moving to one of Ability’s move-on flats in Merton.

“I used to live in a studio flat but I felt scared being on my own there and really wanted to be around other people so my parents helped me to find Layton House. At first I kept getting lost, there are so many corridors and they all look the same!

“The support I’ve had has been good; the staff have given me a shove in the right direction and helped me to see that having an active lifestyle is really important. I do so much more than I used to. I like to be creative and I’ve done lots of courses such as dress making and jewellery design. I’m also a member of my local gym.”

“My confidence has definitely grown since I first moved in and I’ve got more friends. I’m excited to be offered a flat and grateful to Ability for giving me this opportunity. It feels like a new beginning. I know I’ll have to make an effort to get out of the flat as I won’t see people around like I do here, but I feel confident I can do it. I’m ready to get out into the world!”

Foster is preparing to move to his own flat at Ability’s brand new service.

“I have a strong faith in God and I thank him for Layton House and the staff here. When I first came to have a look around I didn’t want to stay; it looked like the building was falling down! But the staff and other tenants were really friendly and I got a good feeling about the place.

“I’ve been here for 6 months and I really like it. The staff help me with stuff like managing my money. They prompt me to pay my rent on time and encourage me to do voluntary work. I volunteer at a charity called Fanon where I work on the front desk answering the phones; directing calls and taking messages.

“I’m really excited to be moving into my own flat. I only have a room here and have to share a kitchen and bathroom so it will be like a palace for me. I’ll be over the moon when I get there!”

Customer Annual Report 2011

As well as an update on progress to date, we also look at the next 12 months and set out targets for further improvements across a number of areas that our customers have told us are important to them.

This year we’ve also produced an Easy Read edition of the report as part of our improvement of information for our customers with learning disabilities. Both editions are available for download here:

Customer Annual Report

Easy Read Customer Annual Report

The agreement, worth £31.5 million to consortium members, will see the SDC deliver 1,856 homes as part of the HCA’s Affordable Homes Programme, which is set to deliver 80,000 new affordable homes across England by 2015. This major contract is one of the largest to be agreed by the HCA team in the South and South West of England.

The SDC is an alliance of eight general needs landlords and specialist housing providers based around the South and South West of England with a broad range of skills and strengths. Through collaboration they can cut procurement costs, achieve efficiencies, bid more effectively for funding and share best practice.

Of the 1,856 homes to be constructed by the SDC under this agreement, 1,100 will be built by the lead partner, Sovereign Housing Association, which will receive £17.5 million. Five other SDC members are also receiving funding: Ability Housing Association, Advance UK, Cottsway Housing Association, Housing Solutions Group and Solon South West Housing Association.

Some 1,397 of the homes to be built will be for rent, while 459 will be available to buy or part own through a variety of affordable home ownership schemes. Eighty per cent of the programme is being delivered on firm identified sites.

“We are delighted that the good track record of Sovereign Development Consortium members in delivering cost-effective affordable homes has been recognised. This success has ensured that we are one of the largest recipients of HCA funding in the South West,” said Phil Stephens, Development and Commercial Director for Sovereign Housing Association.

David Williams, Ability Chief Executive said “we are delighted to be a part of the Sovereign Development Consortium. By joining the consortium Ability will be able to continue providing much needed supported and specialist homes in the South of England for people who want to live more independently.”

In the London region, Ability will work with the Thames Valley Housing Consortium to deliver new homes.

Welfare Action Week is a national week of action starting on 10 October, organised by the National Housing Federation, the trade body for housing associations, to raise awareness of the harsh reality of the Government’s proposed welfare changes.

Hundreds of housing associations across the country will be participating in this week of action.

Under the Welfare Reform Bill, which is going through Parliament, the Government is proposing to cut benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a ‘spare bedroom’ – even if they have lived in the property for decades.

An estimated 670,000 people living in social housing who are of working-age and claim Housing Benefit will receive an average cut of £676 per year.

It will hit people with disabilities hardest. Foster carers will lose out too, even if their ‘spare room’ is being used by fostered children.

Separately, the Government wants to scrap tenants’ right to have their housing benefit paid directly to their landlord. Removing the most convenient way for tenants to pay their rent is likely to lead to increased personal debt and arrears.

The Government is also proposing to introduce a cap on the overall amount of benefit that people can claim.

Families will be amongst the hardest hit as the cap takes no account of the huge variation in housing costs across the country.

As a result of the proposed changes, many tenants will have to choose between going into debt or moving away from work, family and support networks.

The policies are expected to be introduced in April 2013.

As a first step Abilityhas written to the Welfare Reform Minister, Lord Freud, calling on him to drop these changes.

David Williams, Ability Chief Executive said, “Ability Housing Association takes the welfare of our tenants very seriously and is concerned that these measures could cause a lot of hardship for a lot of local people. The Government must reconsider these proposals immediately. They leave tenants to choose between a rock and a hard place: get into debt or get out of their home.”

• Deductions from housing benefit for non-claiming adults in the household have already been increased and will continue to do so each year to 2014.

From April 2013:

• If you are of working age and living in a council or housing association home that is larger than your household size (eg a couple living in a two bedroom home) you will lose part of your housing benefit.

• The overall amount of benefit an out-of-work household can receive will be capped at the average earnings of a working household (expected to be in the region of £500 per week). Households with someone claiming Disability Living Allowance or Working Tax Credit, or with a war widow, will be exempt from the cap.

• New benefit claimants will receive a single payment of Universal Credit instead of separate payments for housing, income support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and tax credits. Existing claimants will be moved across to the new Credit between 2013 and 2017.

• The housing benefit part of the new Credit may be paid directly to you, rather than to your landlord, leaving you responsible for making sure your rent is paid.

• Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans, currently administered on a national basis, will be abolished and replaced with local authority schemes.

Find out more

If you would like more information about the planned changes contact your landlord or local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Take action

You can email or write to your MP to raise your concerns about these changes. The National Housing Federation has produced a message you can use, which you can find at www.housing.org.uk/campaigns.

Ability’s first tenants in Hastings have moved into 12 brand new self-contained flats in the centre of town.

The 12 fully self-contained, 1 bedroom flats have been purpose designed with features such as variable height kitchen worktops, wet room showers, tactile surfaces and assistive technologies.

The flats have been provided by Ability as part of a major programme to replace NHS campus-style accommodation for people with learning disabilities in Hastings and the London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton.

Ability is undertaking 2 further developments in Hastings. A smaller development of 3 flats has also been completed and a third development of 11 is approaching its final stages. 

In total, 26 tenants will move into the new supported living homes in Hastings, where they will receive all the care and support that they need to live independent lives in the local community.

David Williams, Ability Chief Executive said “this model of supported living is something that Ability has been providing successfully for over 20 years now. Time and again we see how tenants flourish in a supported living environment, developing new or hitherto unrecognised abilities, despite living in institutional settings for most of their lives”.

In one research study, a middle aged woman with severe learning disabilities was observed to have increased her vocabulary from 40 words to over 1400 words within 18 months of moving into supported living.

David adds “the evidence is overwhelming and consistent – disabled people lose their living skills in institutional care environments. But they are often capable of regaining them and learning new skills when provided with a secure home they can call their own and support that is both stimulating and geared towards development of living skills.”

Funding for the development programme was provided by Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust in partnership with the London Borough of Sutton.

A group of visitors from Brazil said they were inspired by their 4 day visit to some of Ability Housing Association’s supported living services for people with learning disabilities.

The group, representing the JNG Institute based in Rio de Janeiro, aim to form social inclusion projects for young people with learning disabilities in Brazil.

They spent 4-days with Ability staff and customers learning about the Ability approach to providing supported living. Their visit took in supported living services in Slough, Ruislip, Cheam and Dorking. The group were surprised and immensely impressed by what they saw.

“It’s not complicated; it’s quite simple” Flavia Poppe, the group leader, told David Williams, Ability Chief Executive. She explained that the group had expected supported living to require intensive therapeutic interventions, but what they learned was the primary importance of providing the right living environment.

As David explains: “At Ability we focus on providing high quality self-contained living environments for our customers. In these settings we witness over and over again our customers taking progressively more control over their own lives and finding full expression for their individual abilities”.

Flavia was also impressed by the Ability staff and said “You have a very integrated team of people; staff throughout the organisation are very impressive – beyond our expectations. Words can’t express it. They share the same belief and work together. Each person is treated as an individual – it has been a very special experience for us.”

The two new 2-bedroom flats have been adapted during the build process to meet each tenant’s specific needs. Adaptations include electric rise-fall kitchens, wet-room showers, fob operated electric door opening and ceiling track hoists.

The specially adapted flats, which will enable the tenants to live more independent lives, were built following extensive discussions with Basingstoke’s specialist housing Occupational Therapist.

These are the first homes to be provided by Ability in Basingstoke, thanks to our partnership with Sovereign Housing Group.  They are part of a large mixed-tenure development by David Wilson Homes.

Ability Chief Executive, David Williams said “Sensitively designed and adapted homes can transform lives by removing barriers to independent living. The Ability Housing team has worked in partnership with colleagues at Basingstoke council, Sovereign Housing Group and David Wilson Homes to ensure the finished product matches that aspiration. I hope that the two tenants will be very happy living there.”