Redbridge Council is developing a new Supported Housing Strategy to ensure residents have access to high-quality homes and personalised support, with a statutory deadline for its production set for March 31, 2027.
The strategy, a requirement under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, aims to address the diverse needs of individuals requiring supported housing. These needs are categorised into three main types: short-term and transitional housing for those experiencing homelessness or in need of resettlement; support for working-age disabled adults to enable independent living; and provision for older people, including sheltered and extra care facilities.
During a Housing Committee meeting on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, officers presented a draft strategy that highlighted projected population increases, particularly among the older demographic, which will place greater demand on services. The council also noted that Redbridge is a net importer
of supported housing placements, potentially disconnecting residents from their support networks. To address this, the strategy seeks to optimise supported housing to keep provision in the borough
and avoid becoming a magnet to people from other boroughs.
A key consideration will be ensuring that supported housing is provided in the right place so no particular ward is overburdened with it, that everybody has a range of options for supported housing settings close to their own home, where they live, their community support network.
The proposed strategy is built around four key objectives: ensuring right housing in the right places,
promoting independence, prevention and positive move-on,
fostering health, wellbeing and inclusion,
and strengthening partnerships, quality and co-production.
The success of the strategy will be measured by ensuring that residents are safer, more independent, and better included. Specific outcomes to demonstrate this include: safe and suitable accommodation matched to need; sustained health, relationships, and community links; skills, confidence, and aspirations shaping support; and a planned route to settled housing where appropriate. The strategy will also focus on developing KPIs to measure how effectively people are being moved on from supported housing.
Councillors engaged in a detailed discussion, raising concerns about ward-level data, the balance between local and out-of-borough demand, and the challenges of engaging hard-to-reach groups. To ensure their voices are heard, the strategy will employ a multi-channel approach to consultation, including online platforms, focus groups, and targeted outreach. Councillors can advise on how to reach hard-to-reach groups through their connections and local knowledge. The consultation plan will include accessible formats, targeted outreach, workshops, and interviews. For those who cannot access online channels, engagement will be sought through services they already access, such as council services, providers, and voluntary and community sector organizations. Communication will also be available in plain English and can be translated into various languages using online tools.
Andrew Billany, Director of Housing, and Ben Tomlinson, Head of Housing Strategy, Quality and Assurance, led the presentation. They emphasised that the strategy aims to prevent residents from entering more intensive care settings unnecessarily, which benefits both individual well-being and public finances. While the financial benefit is acknowledged, specific projected cost savings were not detailed in the provided information.
The meeting acknowledged that there is a current supply and demand gap for supported housing, with officers stating, our supply doesn't meet the demand at the moment and I don't think any local authority in the land is doing so.
While specific figures for the current gap were not provided, the needs assessment is still being completed. Projections indicate that the demand for supported housing will increase. In the short term, homelessness pressures are expected to rise. In the medium term (by 2030), demand for short-term support is expected to increase. In the long term, the primary challenge will be supporting the growing older population. The council aims to commission a specialist provider to conduct a thorough needs assessment to gain a fuller picture of both current and projected supply and demand, broken down by ward, over the next 5, 10, and 15 years.
The consultation process for the strategy will involve a multi-channel approach, including online platforms, focus groups, and targeted outreach to ensure a wide range of voices are heard. A workshop is planned for November to further refine the consultation materials and the strategy itself. The consultation period will last for 12 weeks, starting after Cabinet approval in October 2026. The final strategy will be drafted in the early months of 2027 and taken back to Cabinet for final approval. The strategy is proposed to run from 2027 to 2031, with annual reviews to update on progress. The next Housing Committee meeting is scheduled for 13 January 2027.
More information can be found in the public reports pack for the Housing Committee meeting: Public reports pack 02nd Sep 2026 19.00 Housing Committee.
