A safe, stable home is about so much more than having a roof over your head. It can give someone security, independence and the space to rebuild their life. It can be the foundation that helps someone recover, reconnect with their community and look ahead to the future with confidence. That is why supported housing matters so much, and why I’m proud of the role Southdown plays in providing homes and housing support for people across Sussex.

This week, from 19–23 October, we’re joining organisations across the country to mark the first ever Supported Housing Week, led by the National Housing Federation. The week aims to raise awareness of the difference supported housing makes, highlight the experiences of the people who call it home, and make the case for a secure future for these vital services.

It comes at an important time. Demand for supported housing continues to grow, while funding pressures are putting services at risk. Without sustainable solutions, more people could lose access to the homes and support they need, placing even greater pressure on health services, social care and homelessness services.

Why a home is the starting point

I started my career in long-stay psychiatric hospitals in the 1990s and have since worked across homelessness, mental health and housing support. Throughout that time, one thing has become increasingly clear to me: sometimes, the most important thing we can do to help someone is to provide them with a home.

When I was managing a homelessness project in Eastbourne, I often found myself working with people whose difficulties were rooted in not having somewhere safe and settled to live. We could help address some of the challenges they were facing, but without a home, it was much harder for them to move forward. That experience shaped my understanding of housing and the difference it can make.

A home provides a foundation. It gives people somewhere to feel safe, establish routines, maintain relationships and make choices about their lives. Where someone also needs support, bringing housing and support together can help them overcome challenges, develop confidence, build independence and – just as importantly – establish relationships and build inter-dependence.

What great supported is housing will look different for different people at different times. It can provide someone experiencing homelessness with a refuge, protection from the weather and a front door to establish a space of their own. It may act as a stepping stone towards a more settled life – our homes can provide a person with a learning disability with greater choice and control, or enable someone with a physical disability to live in a home designed around their needs. What matters is that people have the right home and the right support for their individual circumstances.

Southdown: housing at the heart of what we do

Housing has been part of Southdown’s work for more than 50 years. We are both a registered social landlord and a care and support provider, giving us valuable experience of understanding the relationship between a person’s home, their wellbeing and their ability to live the life they choose.

Today, we are a specialist landlord for around 450 tenants and shared owners across Sussex. We provide a range of affordable housing, from temporary accommodation to longer-term homes, and work alongside local authorities and other partners to help people access suitable housing. Our role goes beyond providing a property. Our housing management team works with tenants to help them manage their tenancies, while our property services team makes sure homes remain safe, well maintained and suitable for people’s changing needs.

Our ambition is to keep expanding access to housing because we know that having somewhere safe and affordable to live can make a lasting difference. It is also an important part of Southdown’s wider commitment to helping people feel safe, stay well and live the lives they choose.

Working together to tackle the housing challenge

No single organisation can solve the housing challenges facing Sussex on its own. We need housing providers, local authorities, health and social care services, and voluntary organisations to work together, combining their knowledge and resources to find practical solutions.

At Southdown, we’re developing our housing offer and exploring new ways to make more affordable homes available to people who need them.

One example is Brickfields, a new extra care housing development in Brighton for people with physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries. The purpose-designed homes have been developed to meet people’s needs, with accessible features and communal spaces that support independence and connection. Southdown’s role as housing provider, working alongside Brighton & Hove City Council and Grace Eyre, demonstrates how partnership can help deliver homes that might otherwise be difficult to provide.

We’re also working with partners in Brighton & Hove to develop a model of supported temporary accommodation. The aim is to combine a safe place to live with support that helps people address the challenges that contributed to their homelessness in the first place.

These examples reflect an important principle: we need to think creatively about how we use the homes and resources available to us, and work together to develop solutions that make a real difference to people’s lives.

Protecting the future of supported housing

While I’m encouraged by the opportunities ahead, we cannot ignore the pressures facing the sector. Developing and maintaining suitable homes requires long-term investment, and supported housing needs sustainable revenue funding to sustain the support that makes those homes work for the people who live in them. Without that, providers face difficult decisions about whether services can continue, even when the need for them is clear.

Supported Housing Week is an opportunity to make that case more strongly. It is a chance to help decision-makers understand what supported housing achieves, listen to the experiences of residents and recognise the consequences when the right housing and support are not available.

It’s also an opportunity to celebrate everyone involved in providing supported housing and the difference they make to people’s lives. A heartfelt thank you to all my colleagues for the care, dedication, commitment and hard work you bring every day. Your contribution helps people feel safe, build independence and create a place to call home – something we should all be incredibly proud of.

At Southdown, we will continue to look for ways to provide more homes, strengthen our partnerships and make the best use of the resources we have.

Find out more about Southdown’s housing and support

Find out more about Supported Housing Week