Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

            Councillor Attridge introduced the Sheltered Accommodation Review report and explained that the Council’s sheltered housing was currently for people aged over 60 and the mini-group accommodation was for people aged over 50 years. 

            However, the Council’s age criteria was an operational issue, due to the Housing Association partners’ critera being over 55 years resulting in three different age specifications at the point of allocating properties.

            A review of sheltered accommodation was proposed within the context of an increasing demand for social housing across Flintshire; an increasing number of people with physical disabilities; and the strategic principle in the draft Housing Strategy of making the best use of existing stock.

            An initial desk analysis had been undertaken and provided a better understanding of the Council’s stock use, full details of which were outlined in the report.

            Flintshire County Council was the only partner of the Housing Register who had two levels of age criteria for sheltered accommodation, neither of which aligned with the Council’s partner’s criteria.  All other Single Access Route to Housing (SARTH) partners had a criteria of over 55 and it was proposed that Flintshire County Council aligned the age criteria with those partners.

            In response to a question from Councillor Thomas, the Homeless and Advice Team Manager explained that if a resident was affected by bedroom tax and wanted to downsize, they would go into Band 1, but for properties available from general needs stock, not sheltered accommodation.

            RESOLVED:

(a)       That the eligibility criteria for all mini-groups and sheltered schemes to age 55 so as to bring them in line with our Housing Association and Local Authority Single Access Route to Housing Partners be approved; and

(b)       That the scope of the review be approved with update reports being brought back to Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny as the review progresses.