The document outlines a housing brokerage pilot program in Essex County Council. It discusses establishing a housing broker to help people with learning disabilities access more housing options and have more choice in where they live. An evaluation of the pilot program will be completed after 9 months to assess what was achieved and inform future housing strategies to better meet the needs of those with learning disabilities. The goal is for the brokerage program to help 20-24 clients annually gain access to suitable housing.

1. Essex County Council
Housing Brokerage Pilot

2. Housing Brokerage
Why Housing Brokerage?
What we did
Where we are now
Evaluation
The Future
2

3. Housing Brokerage
Background
ECC & NDTi working in partnership on Housing
& Inclusion Project
Housing Brokerage key element of inclusion
project
3

4. Housing Brokerage
Why Housing Brokerage?
Valuing People Now says that people with LD
should have more choice about their Housing
Options
Annual Target to decrease residential care
services by 5%
Mainstream housing needs to be more
accessible and inclusive
4

5. Housing Brokerage
Why Housing Brokerage?
Person centred and outcome focussed
Enables people with LD to access a range of
Housing Options
Allows people with LD to choose where they
live and who they live with
5

6. Housing Brokerage
Issues for ECC
Voids in LD Shared Housing
Properties unsuitable for LD
Nominations agreements and void indemnities
6

7. Housing Brokerage
What we did
Identified need
Commenced discussions with Dimensions UK
Secured £45k LDDF funding
Agreed area to be covered by pilot
NDTi to produce evaluation in partnership
7

8. Housing Brokerage
Referral Pathways
Inclusion Webs
Joint Referral Meetings
Housing Providers
Practitioner Referrals
8

9. Housing Brokerage
Referral Process
Pen Pictures
Local Authority Housing Register
MCA’s
Housing Needs Assessment
Strategic Commissioning gatekeep referrals
9

10. Housing Brokerage
Where we are now
Housing Broker appointed
Dimensions employing organisation
Steering Group with T.O.R
Potential referrals indentified
Pilot launched
10

11. Housing Brokerage
NDTi Evaluation
Complete at 9 months
Tools to capture data
What happened against what we intended
Service User feedback/satisfaction
11

12. Housing Brokerage
The Future
20-24 cases completed annually
Access to a range of housing options from both social
and private sector
Effective use of existing housing reducing voids &
void costs
Developing partnerships with Housing Providers
Increase use of Assistive Technology
Inform future planning & strategy
12

13. Housing Brokerage
Benefits
Develop & establish knowledge of what is possible
Inform future planning to ensure that housing
needs are met
Educate and empower people with LD to realise
their housing aspirations
Give people with LD choice and control about
where they live and who they live with
13