Supporting People

‘Supporting People’ is a Government funded programme. It operates nationally across 150 councils in England and Wales.

The main aim of Supporting People is to provide good quality housing-related support services to vulnerable people. This is to enable them to remain living at home independently for as long as they want to, or are able to. By doing this, Supporting People also helps vulnerable people to live independently in the community, rather than being housed in an institution, or a home.

The programme pays for ‘housing-related support’. This helps someone to manage their home by enabling them to make decisions and to do things for themselves, rather than having things done for them. ‘Housing-related support’ is distinct from care, but it complements health and care services. It includes:

• Helping people with managing their budgets. For example, helping them to apply for benefits to which they might be entitled, and making sure that bills are paid on time.
• Helping to deal with different services. For example, helping a vulnerable person to deal with their landlord or the council.
• Helping people to deal with other where support is required through advice, advocacy and liaison in connection with housing or tenancy matters. This includes employment, health, further education or training,
• Sheltered housing services, including a warden or mobile warden, or a community alarm phone linked to a 24 hour control centre.
• Help in setting up and maintaining a home.
• Help in developing domestic and life skills.

The vulnerable groups helped by the Supporting People programme include (but are not limited to):

• Homeless people and those at risk of eviction.
• Vulnerable young people.
• Older people with support needs.
• People with learning or physical disabilities.
• Ex-offenders.
• Women at risk of domestic violence.
• People with substance misuse problems.
• People with mental health problems.

Increasingly, the Supporting People programme forms an influential part of broader approaches to the needs of vulnerable people. This may involve practitioners from different disciplines. These include people working in

• Health (especially the Primary Care Trust).
• Social care.
• Criminal justice.
• Housing.
• Education.

More information: