Care homes across England are facing sudden closure because of funding cuts by several councils as part of the Supporting People programme.
At least nine registered care homes have been told that councils plan to withdraw supported housing management grant with as little as three months' notice.

Care providers had expected longer notice periods because they normally need six months to a year to find suitable alternative housing.

ODPM guidance said the grant would be provided to care homes "until such time as the secretary of state may determine otherwise".

It promised that further advice would be given on when the grant would end.

Choices Housing Association in Staffordshire was told just before Christmas by an unnamed local council that the annual grant of around £59,000 for three of its homes will end in March.

The homes' 19 residents will all have to be rehoused. This may prove difficult as there is currently a nationwide shortage of care home places.

Sally Pritchard, chief executive of Choices, said: "Because of an arbitrary change, a number of our tenants' futures are threatened.

"We would welcome some definitive guidance from the government."

Choices is waiting either for the council to review the decision, or for social services and health departments to put in extra money.

Pritchard said she believed the council wanted to save money in registered care so that it could provide new supported housing services, a problem caused by the fixed funding available through Supporting People.

Stonham Housing Association, which operates across England, has been told that it will lose the grant for one of its care homes in three months' time.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the ODPM's review of the Supporting People programme is likely to be unveiled in the next fortnight.

n Wendy Jarvis, former head of local authority housing at the ODPM, took over from Bert Provan as head of Supporting People earlier this month.

Source

Housing Today