NDTi Launch the Housing for Mental Health and Social Inclusion Project

The newly published strategy document No Health Without Mental Health highlights the central role of appropriate housing in supporting people’s wellbeing.There are however some key challenges with the way that services are currently delivered, including an unnecessarily high use of acute and secure psychiatric beds and extensive use of highly expensive out-of-area placements.

Based on a wide range of work in Mental Health services and also the current delivery of a project focusing on the housing and support needs of people with learning disabilities in 8 local areas in England, the NDTi wants to explore the interest of Health commissioners, NHS Mental Health Trusts and Local Authority partners in working with us and other areas to:

• Develop strategies that maximise the access of people with mental health needs they are supporting to obtain and/or retain suitable housing and support

• Focus specifically on groups of people and service situations that represent the most significant organisational challenges and offer the potential for budget savings and quality improvements

• Link this experience to the development of policies and strategies for the future, notably including partnership working, the emerging personalisation agenda and the greater emphasis on using the full range of local resources to support people to improve their lives

The project will commence on the 1st of September 2011. Please download the documents on this page for further information or contact Steve Strong at NDTi.