Wiltshire charity backs calls for accessible housing for disabled people
A local Government and Ombudsman report suggests disabled people face major hurdles reaching the help they need
A Wiltshire charity supporting homeless people is backing calls for local authorities to boost access to housing for disabled people.
It's after a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman suggested people with disabilities face huge barriers in getting the support they need.
Those barriers include inadequate care assessments, a lack of adaptations, and poor communication, with the Ombudsman calling on councils to make improvements to the 'disproportionate challenges' faced by people with disabilities and housing needs.
Naomi Webb is Head of Homelessness Services at Salisbury-based charity, Alabaré, and tells us the barriers can be overlooked when it comes to securing safe, secure and suitable housing.
"Many landlords will refuse to make adaptions to properties, to make them accessible, due to the additional cost," she said, adding that the process of applying for adaptations can be difficult.
"Accessible housing often involves complex processes and long delays. Often many give up before receiving their support," Naomi added.
She said people with a disability, are among the most vulnerable in our communities, saying more must be done to meet individual needs, with supported housing unsuitable for those with specific physical needs and neurodivergence.
Homelessness has enormous impacts
Naomi explained the knock on impacts of disabled people being homeless, insisting local authorities must be step in to meet peoples needs.
"Inaccessible housing increases reliance on social care, delays hospital discharges, and contributes to poor health outcomes.
"Homelessness worsens existing health conditions and can often lead to new ones. Lack of access to medication, hygiene facilities and safe environments can have a significant effect on physical and mental health," Naomi said.
Naomi continued: "Investing in accessible housing isn't just fair, it's financially smart."
She's called on councils to assess local needs and housing strategies to ensure appropriate accommodation is available to all members of the community.
Council insists it's taking action
Wiltshire Council insists it always carries out assessments on how suitable accommodation is when placing anyone into temporary accommodation, to ensure it meets their needs.
The Council also says it's expanding both the number of adapted flats available for temporary housing and its Housing Occupation Team to allow more people to be supported.
Cllr Adrian Foster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management and Housing, said: “Everyone deserves access to safe and suitable housing. In Wiltshire, we always carry out suitability assessments before placing anyone into temporary accommodation and when they move on into permanent accommodation, ensuring the property meets the needs of the disabled resident. We’ve also increased the number of adapted flats within our temporary accommodation portfolio and have expanded our Housing Occupational Team to support our suitability assessments.
“Through adult social care, we currently offer a range of support services for disabled residents with housing needs, including tailored care assessments, assistance with housing adaptions, and individual support where required.
“We continue to work closely across housing and care to make sure support is joined up and reflects each person’s needs.”