This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Funding for housing support services
03/03/2004
Grants of more than £408 million will be available to
provide housing support services to vulnerable people in
2004/05, it was confirmed today.
Communities Minister Margaret Curran was announcing the
breakdown of Supporting People funding for each of
Scotland's 32 Local Authorities which should enable those
housing services already in place - such as support workers
and wardens for sheltered accommodation, homeless hostels
or women's refuges - to continue with the minimum of
disruption for service users.
Full year allocations have been made to most local
authorities. Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire
councils have received six month allocations while further
work is undertaken, in partnership with both authorities,
to assess the appropriate levels of funding.
The Minister said:
"We are committed to tackling poverty and disadvantage
and the Supporting People programme has a vital role to
play in ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society
are able to live independently either in their own homes or
in supported accommodation.
"Supporting People aims to stop the need for people -
such as older people - having to move prematurely into
institutional care. It also assists those who are
threatened with homelessness and young adults who have been
in local authority care to keep their tenancies by
providing support workers to help with issues such as
budgeting and managing a home. It helps people with
disabilities or mental health problems to access a range of
services which in turn enables them to live independently
in their communities.
"I am pleased to confirm grants of more that £408
million to improve the quality of life for many of
Scotland's most vulnerable people."
The Supporting People programme was first announced in
December 1998 by the then Department of Social Security.
It went live in Scotland on 1 April 2003.
Final allocations of the £421 million for 2003/04 were
announced on December 5, 2003 together with arrangements
for a review of services funded through Supporting People
to ensure that they meet the objectives of the programme
and offer value for money. Information from the review
process will be used to inform funding decisions for the
second half of 2004/05 for Argyll and Bute and West
Dunbartonshire.
The allocations for the 2004/05 year will be subject to
further limited adjustment to take into account the full
year cost of new services that began in 2003/04. This means
that allocations for new services that commenced in 2003/04
can be consolidated into grants - subject to review - for
future years.
The programme puts in place an integrated planning and
funding framework for housing related support services.
The new arrangements will be managed by local authorities
in partnership with providers and other local
stakeholders.
A number of funding streams were merged into the
Supporting People Grant in April - Transitional Housing
Benefit, Special Needs Allowance Package and Resettlement
Grant being the main ones.
The main historical funding source for Supporting People
was Transitional Housing Benefit (THB) which ended on 31
March 2003. Those services funded through THB are now
funded by Supporting People with a funding transfer from
the Department for Work and Pensions to the Scottish
Executive to enable this to happen. Other smaller
transfers relate to rent pool supported services and
pipeline services.
The allocations by Local Authority are:
Aberdeen City £12,306,385.31
Aberdeenshire £9,374,918.64
Angus £6,404,032.96
Argyll and Bute £8,299,119.18
Clackmannanshire £3,093,495.45
Dumfries and Galloway £15,078,643.67
Dundee £11,672,479,97
East Ayrshire £6,184,168,29
East Dunbartonshire £5,527,820.89
East Lothian £9,365,815.80
East Renfrewshire £6,258,178.60
City of Edinburgh £44,694,923.95
Eilean Siar £356,812.77
Falkirk £8,275,040.93
Fife £28,331,955.32
Glasgow City £71,765,591.36
Highland £13,892,812.73
Inverclyde £8,122,573.44
Midlothian £6,071,374.91
Moray £6,920,484.90
North Ayrshire £14,705,130.89
North Lanarkshire £24,845,631.31
Orkney £357,044.49
Perth and Kinross £6,225,993.89
Renfrewshire £18,346,929.53
Scottish Borders £5,956,312.66
Shetland £788,469.79
South Ayrshire £8,171,860.48
South Lanarkshire £23,420,550.34
Stirling £3,799,842.77
West Dunbartonshire £9,698,410.53
West Lothian £9,761,338.41
Scotland £408,074,144.13