Strategic housing services

Strategic housing services

Our team has a proven track record of working with local and regional organisations to develop their capacity to think and act strategically.

• At a national level, Associates have undertaken recent research on behalf of the Audit Commission to inform the scope of a national study programme around strategic housing. This research was also intended to inform the housing element of the Comprehensive Area Assessment guidance on developing the strategic housing function and relevant Audit Commission key lines of enquiry
• The service has also been a major partner in the delivery of the Improvement and Development Agency's Strategic Housing and Rural Excellence programmes, providing the housing knowledge and experience in the delivery of support programmes to chief executives, elected members, senior management teams and officers at a local, sub-regional and regional level. This work has been firmly in the context of local government reform and regional reform to deliver economic growth, and has most recently focused on developing responses to the challenges presented by the economic downturn
• We are in the process of establishing a value for money framework to support local authorities in their strategic housing role, working with a number of sub-regions to do this. The framework is being rolled out to over 100 authorities this year.
• In 2004 the service evaluated homelessness strategies on behalf of the then ODPM, and we have continued to work with members of relevant CLG teams to ensure our support at a local level is within the policy context presented at a national level
• At a regional level we have supported the North West Regional Assembly (now 4NW) to develop regional strategic approaches to homelessness and housing support. This has included commissioning and undertaking research, and developing regional relationships between agencies to support local delivery, for example, with regional health commissioners, CSIP and NOMS. We have also worked with the North East Assembly to provide support on a number of projects for the North East Housing Board
• We carried out what we believe to be the first piece of research across the whole of the North East to look at homelessness beyond the basic statutory groups. The outputs of this will be used to inform policy and resource planning and the development and delivery of the new regional strategy for the North East
• At a local level our Associates have worked with many organisations to develop their strategic and operational responses to the need for housing, housing support, homelessness and housing option services. This work often involves an analysis of data and information to inform plans and policies and evaluations of local and national service provision to identify the need for improvement. We have also supported two local authorities to receive 'three stars, excellent prospects' in Supporting People inspections, and a number of 'two star, promising prospects' in strategic housing
• Our subscription service, the Strategic Excellence Network, provides over 130 organisations with regular updates on planning, policy and practice. We regularly undertake small research projects to inform briefings for SEN members; recent work has focused on enabling an increased supply of affordable housing.

For further information, please contact Russell Helms on russell.helms@hqnetwork.co.uk or 0845 4747 004.