Section: Supporting People

The newly named Supporting Families programme to support some of the most vulnerable families in society

Posted 26.03.21
GOV.UK: Further reading

The next phase of the programme to support some of the most vulnerable families in society has been launched by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, backed by £165 million funding.

The newly named 'Supporting Families' programme, previously known as the 'Troubled Families' programme, includes work to support people to leave abusive relationships, get the right joined-up support for those with mental health issues and help people to find work.

Through the programme, which began in 2012, families are assigned a dedicated keyworker, who works with every member of the family and brings local services together to resolve issues at an early stage.

Since 2015, over 400,000 vulnerable families have received support to help them turn their lives around and build brighter futures and over 870,000 families have benefited from the programme's 'whole family' approach to tackling problems.

Building stronger data is a key focus of the next phase of the programme, and the government has also announced the launch of a new Data Accelerator Fund, backed by £7.9 million in additional funding, to improve how councils use data to support vulnerable families.

This includes identifying families that need support and helping frontline workers get the information they need. Councils will be able to bid for this funding, split over two years, to set up new data projects.

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Mayor to prioritise housing for key workers

Posted 12.03.21
Mayor of London: Further reading

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is to recognise the service and sacrifice made by key workers during the Coronavirus pandemic by backing them to be first in the queue for thousands of new genuinely affordable homes being built across London.

The Mayor will work with trade unions, emergency services and local authorities to create the list of essential London workers who have given so much to keep the Capital going over the last year.

The list will include nurses and other NHS staff as well as police officers, transport workers, firefighters and teachers.

A new expectation in planning guidance will mean boroughs use this list to give people in these occupations priority access to buy or rent homes below market rates.

Local authorities will also be able to add occupations to the core list to reflect local needs.

The new London-wide list is in response to a wider consultation on the role of intermediate housing in London in the wake of the pandemic.

Intermediate housing is defined as affordable housing which is targeted at people who are unlikely to access homes at social rent levels, but who are not able to afford to buy or rent a suitable home on the open market.

The two types of intermediate homes preferred by the Mayor are London Shared Ownership and London Living Rent - these are the homes to which key workers will be now be given priority access.

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