Funding cuts slammed

12 December 2007

Shelter has condemned cuts in Government funding for housing projects that help the most vulnerable people in society.

The 'Supporting People' programme was designed to ensure that housing-related support was available to help vulnerable people live independently.

But Communities Minister Baroness Andrews has announced a new funding settlement that will reduce the budget for Supporting People over the next three years. Allowing for inflation, it adds up to a cut of nearly 11% by 2011.

This announcement follows on from a decision that money for vulnerable groups will no longer be 'ring-fenced' from 2009. This means that councils will be able to divert funds away from supported housing projects that are essential but might not be popular locally - like housing schemes for ex-offenders who are trying to reintegrate into society.

Several Shelter services will be hit by the cuts, including our Homeless to Home projects for families moving from temporary accommodation to settled accommodation, our Older Persons Project in Sheffield, and our flagship Rochdale Inclusion Project, that helps people overcome antisocial behaviour problems to avoid eviction.

Shelter chief executive Adam Sampson said: 'this settlement is very disappointing. These cuts to the Supporting People programme mean a reduction in the support Shelter and other organisations provide on the ground to some of the most vulnerable groups in our society.

'This is almost an 11 per cent cut in funding over three years and follows other previous cuts.

'Government plans to end the ringfence around Supporting People funding in 2009 will worsen the situation even further by allowing local authorities to redirect funds away from the most vulnerable and into other services.'