Enclosed is the report of the Strategic Director Children and Education Services.

1.         To approve and endorse the adoption of the House Project and support the engagement of Strategic Housing with registered housing providers to ensure sufficient ‘stock and flow’ of suitable properties.

2.         To endorse the proposal to adopt the model and associated costs to ensure financial prudence; and to support the subsequent implementation plan.

A report submitted by the Strategic Director Children and Education Services proposed that the Council become part of the House Project. The report explained that the National House Project was part of the DfE Innovation Programme. Its aim was to increase and further enhance the range and choice of accommodation for young people who have been in care. It sought to help prepare care-leavers for independence, supporting them to take ownership and responsibility for their accommodation. The evidence from other House Project sites indicated the service was improving outcomes for care-leavers and had reduced demand for supported accommodation from young people, as more were able to live independently.

The report described the role of the National House Project charity. That had developed the expertise and the tools to support the setting-up and management of Local House Projects within individual local authorities. The support provided by the charity, and the cost of obtaining that support, was set out in the appendix to the report. The report proposed how the project’s approach could be implemented in Manchester, and the running costs that were forecast to be involved. The analysis showed that the project should result in a net saving of almost £150k per year after three years, from the avoidance of supported accommodation costs.

It was explained that a stock and flow of suitable properties was vital to the success of these projects. Appropriate properties were expected to come from the stock of all the city’s Registered Housing Providers (RP) and the Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO). It was hoped that stock or properties would give young people some choice of where to live in the City. The choice would be subject to where suitable properties were being identified across the city that would be realistic and affordable for a young person to live in and improve. It was envisaged that the rent and utilities for a property would be paid by the Council and the tenancy management responsibilities would remain with the RP. There would need to be a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and the RP to provide clarity on support, roles and responsibilities. The young people would occupy their property on an equitable tenancy until they were eighteen. During that time it would be important that the young people were involved in and had some responsibility for the decoration and refurbishment of their home.

Decisions

1.         To approve and endorse the adoption of the House Project and support the engagement of Strategic Housing with registered housing providers to ensure sufficient ‘stock and flow’ of suitable properties.

2.         To endorse the proposal to adopt the model and associated costs to ensure financial prudence; and to support the subsequent implementation plan.