Looking ahead at what 2022 might bring for supported housing

2021 was another really challenging year. At the start of the pandemic, we were in crisis mode. We ripped up red tape, worked collaboratively across the sector, and even received mass acknowledgement with the public clapping for health and social care workers on Thursday evenings. Funds were available, our customers were being financially supported, and community spirit was alive and kicking.

As 2020 became 2021 and the pandemic continued, much of this has eroded. As we entered the winter, with the news of the new variant and Plan B evolving, we have all been hunkering down and preparing for a rough ride. The massive difference this time around, however, is that we have the vaccination and each day the number of people who are opting to have the vaccine, including the booster, increases. However, alongside this breakthrough, people are increasingly demotivated and less likely to conform to any greater restrictions – and this poses challenges for us as support providers, whose role it is to keep people safe and well. We are all tired and despite running a number of staff wellbeing initiatives throughout the pandemic, we all just want to be back to normal.

Looking forwards, there is much to be hopeful about

The white paper People at the Heart of Care was released at the end of 2021. We were pleased to see it recognised the value of supported housing and the social care workforce, and promised some investment. It recognised that supported housing provides homes for more than just older people and that we, as a sector, work with a whole range of service users to help them live independently. 

The £300m proposed in the reforms may be a drop in the ocean of what is needed but at Look Ahead, we look forward to working with the sector and the Department of Health and Social Care to help maximise the funding allocated.

We’re launching a recruitment campaign this year called the #ManyFacesOfSupport, aimed at highlighting the diverse range of people that we employ and support as a sector. In 2022, our sector needs to continue to make the message clear: we need the government to recognise our amazing workforce and really start to reward them appropriately for the part they have played – and will continue to play – every single day, in improving lives.

Our workforce is our greatest asset. Supported housing equals people, and ours are the very best. They are at the heart of everything we do. Yet we are struggling to recruit, and despite being a living wage employer, we are really feeling the pinch in terms of staffing. This challenge, as well as the contagious nature of the virus, is certainly making Look Ahead – and the whole sector – feel more exposed.

The rise in inflation means that many of our customers – and staff – will be making the decision between heating their home and buying food to eat. To help address this, we worked hard to raise money through our Secret Santa appeal, which meant donations reached all our services in time for Christmas. 

This all sounds very doom and gloom, but you know why we will get through it in 2022? The supported housing workforce. We are a workforce to be reckoned with. We have great values and a true sense of purpose. We’re adaptable, hard working and most of all, we care.