Eindhoven wants to put an end to the current situation in which people living in sheltered accommodation, but capable of living independently, rent their homes through a care provider. The local authority aims to prevent vulnerable people from ending up on the streets. In future, 230 homes that are now sublet to clients via care organisations should be rented directly to the tenants themselves.
The current arrangement, where clients rent their accommodation from the care provider, can lead to difficulties. Residents whose care contracts are terminated may also lose their homes, which contributes to homelessness. Studio040 previously calculated that 10 per cent of people in homeless shelters are in fact entitled to sheltered housing.
In response to questions from the SP party, the municipality of Eindhoven noted that the number of homeless people with a Protected Housing (BW) indication is very limited compared with the total group of 2,100 people holding such an indication.
Separation
The municipality nevertheless wants to see “a reduction in the number of vulnerable people being forced to move house”, according to housing associations Woonbedrijf and Wooninc, in statements to Studio040. To achieve this, care and rent must be separated. “This does indeed mean a change in working methods and in thinking. We are tackling this together with care providers. We are in discussions with these organisations about how, for example, we can take steps towards more independent living in the coming period,” the municipality said.
Challenges
The city council says it intends to take significant steps during this term of office, but there are still few concrete details on how this will be achieved. The housing associations Woonbedrijf and Wooninc confirm they are in talks with the municipality, but acknowledge that challenges remain.
“Ideally, people discharged from intramural care – where the client lives within the care institution itself – would move on to their own home,” the associations explain. This transition takes place through Door!, a collaboration between housing associations and care providers. In the first year, the person in need of care receives a tenancy agreement via the care institution, which also guarantees support. If all goes well, the tenancy can then be transferred to the housing association. The difficulty, however, is that not everyone leaving institutional care is capable of living independently.
Organisation
‘For the group that needs 24-hour, seven-day-a-week support or care, this is not a suitable solution.’ However, there is no alternative to Door! as care providers are unable to offer 24-hour care in this set-up. According to the housing associations, a different organisation of care is therefore needed.
Agreements
At the same time, the housing associations are also concerned about the municipality’s plans to separate care and rent. It is important to prevent housing associations from having to take on part of the care task because they may be directly involved with a vulnerable target group. In addition, the quality of life in the neighbourhoods should not suffer because of people who have a protected housing indication.
Clear agreements are therefore necessary, according to the housing associations. ‘For us, it is important that we can rely on agreements with municipalities and healthcare providers, with each party taking on the role that can be expected of it. Without these agreements, there is a risk that the corporation will be given more tasks than can be expected of it and that the risks of a resident not successfully settling into a neighbourhood will lie with the corporation. That is not desirable.’
Source: Studio040
