Housing Improvement and Adaptations Policy

1.1. The council is committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of all residents and working together with its partners to improve quality of housing and deliver better housing outcomes. In recognising the value people place on leading fulfilling lives and staying independent for longer, the council understands that living in poor housing has an adverse effect on health and increases the risk of both physical and mental illness, disability and premature death.

1.2. This policy explains how the council will support local people and work with other agencies, both statutory and voluntary, to provide assistance to keep people safe and independent at home. It is driven by a shift in focus towards using more preventative and proactive measures as opposed to those which are reactive often at the point of crisis.

1.3. The Buckinghamshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2016-2022 (JSNA) sets out a key priority to “support communities to enable people to achieve their potential and ensure Buckinghamshire is a great place to live”.

1.4. The JSNA outlines the main areas where housing and poor health are linked. It is designed to identify key issues relating to the health and wellbeing of Buckinghamshire residents, along with inequalities in health for specific population groups.

1.5. In 2014 the Government recognised the contribution good, accessible, warm and safe housing makes to improved health and social care outcomes, and passed the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) Allocation capital funding to the Department of Health to be included in the Better Care Fund (BCF).

1.6. The inclusion of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) Allocation within the BCF and the new focus on housing assistance being better aligned to support prevention in health and social care. Guidance from Foundations encourages the use of innovative preventative assistance within a discretionary policy, so help prevent hospital admissions and aid speedy discharge.

1.7. It is known that poor quality housing can have an impact on the health of the occupants and on the quality of life in an area; the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has calculated that poor housing costs the NHS at least £600 million per year. Some householders, particularly the elderly and most vulnerable, do not have the necessary resources to keep their homes in good repair.