Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of supported housing in helping people with acute mental illnesses recover and live independently.

The Department has made no formal assessment of the potential benefits of supported housing in helping older people with support needs and those living with acute mental illness to live independently. However, the Department’s work in this area is underpinned by a variety of evidence – including a report commissioned by the Homes and Communities Agency, Financial benefits of investment in specialist housing for vulnerable and older people (2010), which provides a useful overview. This is based on a review of literature, and is split by different client groups including older people and those living with a mental health condition.