Housing | Provider Hub

Market Context

People have told us that they want to live as independently as possible and to feel part of a local community. Suitable housing and accommodation is a key enabler to realising this aspiration.

To increase and enable independence requires the right accommodation, with the right care and support, at the right time to house and support people at all stages of life irrespective of need and any disability or impairment they may be living with.

The suitability and stability of housing and accommodation is also a key enabler to maintaining and improving people’s health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities of health.

The supported and specialist housing market in Essex is operating against a backdrop of significant change, driven by economic pressures, changes in legislation and the county’s inclusion in the Government’s priority programme for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

While Essex County Council is not a Housing Authority, it is committed to working collaboratively with the 12 District, Borough and City Housing and Planning authorities, local Health Alliances, and developers and registered providers of specialist and supported accommodation to enable the development of all types and tenures of housing and accommodation that meet need, are accessible, and that enable people to live a full life, stay healthy and age well.

Adult Social Care’s strategic aims for housing and accommodation are:

New homes are designed for residents to live independent and healthy lives
Homes are adapted and digital technologies adopted to support residents to live independently
People can access high quality specialist and supported accommodation that meets their needs and maximises their independence

We are moving towards these ambitions based on new evidence from the Supported and Specialist Housing and Accommodation Need Assessment (2025) (SSHANA). This research shows that one in eight of the 214,700 homes to be built in Essex by 2044 should be provided as a form of Supported and Specialist Housing. The findings of the SSHANA will inform the contents of the following sections of the Market Position Statement:

Our current areas of focus are:

Using the SSHANA to support District, Borough and City councils to develop local Supported Housing Strategies by 2027, shape Local Plans, inform Planning decisions, and enable a more consistent and coordinated response to national policy and legislative changes
Influencing the development of new inclusive, accessible and adaptable homes including promoting consistent application of accessibility standards and improving visibility of accessible housing options
Working with District, Borough and City councils and local Health partnerships to use the Disabled Facilities Grant strategically to deliver more adaptations, increase the supply of accessible and adapted housing and improve community facilities

Developing the use of Care Technology by working with councils, Public Health and the NHS to raise awareness, embed digital solutions, and establish hybrid models of care alongside domiciliary and residential provision to promote safety, independence and prevention across the system
Optimising existing commissioned provision while stimulating the development of new supported and specialist housing and accommodation supply, in line with the SSHANA-identified need, to increase availability and ensure appropriate support is in place to help residents sustain tenancies where required
Strengthening partnerships with providers and developers to support diversification and delivery of housing and accommodation that can meet high-acuity and complex needs
Working with District, Borough and City councils and Housing Associations to secure dedicated homes, where possible, for people ready to move out of specialist and supported housing and accommodation into general needs housing
Ensuring quality and consistency across all commissioned provision through stronger monitoring and quality assurance processes, workforce development, adoption of best practice design and standards, and meaningful involvement of people with lived experience
Strengthening early-help and prevention approaches to enable timely intervention and reduce the need for moves into more restrictive or less independent settings.

Our current areas of focus are:

Using the SSHANA to support District, Borough and City councils to develop local Supported Housing Strategies by 2027, shape Local Plans, inform Planning decisions, and enable a more consistent and coordinated response to national policy and legislative changes
Influencing the development of new inclusive, accessible and adaptable homes including promoting consistent application of accessibility standards and improving visibility of accessible housing options
Working with District, Borough and City councils and local Health partnerships to use the Disabled Facilities Grant strategically to deliver more adaptations, increase the supply of accessible and adapted housing and improve community facilities

Developing the use of Care Technology by working with councils, Public Health and the NHS to raise awareness, embed digital solutions, and establish hybrid models of care alongside domiciliary and residential provision to promote safety, independence and prevention across the system
Optimising existing commissioned provision while stimulating the development of new supported and specialist housing and accommodation supply, in line with the SSHANA-identified need, to increase availability and ensure appropriate support is in place to help residents sustain tenancies where required
Strengthening partnerships with providers and developers to support diversification and delivery of housing and accommodation that can meet high-acuity and complex needs
Working with District, Borough and City councils and Housing Associations to secure dedicated homes, where possible, for people ready to move out of specialist and supported housing and accommodation into general needs housing
Ensuring quality and consistency across all commissioned provision through stronger monitoring and quality assurance processes, workforce development, adoption of best practice design and standards, and meaningful involvement of people with lived experience
Strengthening early-help and prevention approaches to enable timely intervention and reduce the need for moves into more restrictive or less independent settings.

The supported and specialist housing market in Essex is navigating a period of transition, influenced by economic pressures, policy change, and the county’s participation in the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution programme, shaping a changing environment for investment, service delivery and long-term planning.

Current market risks:

Essex County Council’s role is primarily to support, influence and enable housing and accommodation delivery making positive outcomes reliant on close and ongoing collaboration with District, Borough and City councils, registered providers, and developers, and alignment across partners and wider local priorities
The current economic and policy climate have led to a more cautious approach across the market making the development of supported and specialist housing and accommodation schemes more complex to progress and potentially influencing the pace at which new developments come forward
Limited availability of general needs housing continues to restrict move-on from supported living, making it harder for people to progress towards greater independence and adversely affecting the flow and effectiveness of supported housing
Shortfalls in specialist accommodation mean some individuals are not always able to live in the most appropriate setting for their needs, including instances where people with complex disabilities and/or autism experience avoidable or extended stays in hospital, with wider impact on their health and wellbeing and system costs

Last updated: 01/04/2026

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