Support services will end at sheltered housing complex in Wishaw if legacy funding finishes

Residents at a sheltered housing complex in Wishaw are worried their safety could be compromised after it was revealed that there are plans to discontinue a warden service.

Houldsworth Court in the town’s Campbell Street is run by Trust Housing who say they will have to withdraw the “housing support service” if local authority funding ends.

Dennis McCormick, who is 76 years old, lives at Houldsworth and his son Peter is acting as a representative for him and a number of other residents in the complex.

Peter said: “Trust pay for a coordinator for 25 hours a week – who is basically the warden for the building, and an old legacy from the council pays for another 10 hours. Apparently that legacy’s being stopped.

"So, the hours are being cut and it seems that between North Lanarkshire Council and Trust, they are trying to get rid of the coordinator all together. They didn’t say it out loud but essentially that’s what’s going to happen.

“They say they are trying to outsource it and it seems it’s not just at Houldsworth, there are six places where they are going for the same thing . So it’s more wide-reaching than we thought it was.”

In addition to Houldsworth Court, Trust admit they are in ongoing discussions with North Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) regarding the provision of housing support services at Ravens Court and Mission Place, both in Motherwell; Dunrobin Gardens in Airdrie; Corson Court in Bellshill; and Forrestfield Gardens in Caldercruix.

“There will be issues with the security of the building and the safety of the community,” Peter continued. “People are already getting into the building and the tenants feel as if Trust have let them down.

“They are totally ignoring the needs and wants of residents who took up the tenancies, as sheltered housing with a warden.”

Peter’s father, who has COPD, has been living at Houldsworth Court for the last year-and-a-half.

As well as on-site staffing, the housing complex offers services such as repairs, wifi, a pull cord alarm system, laundry facilities, social activities, maintained gardens, and window cleaning.

However, the services come at a price – the monthly charge varies depending on the property size but averages £785 per month.

Peter added: “My father is a paying tenant and wasn’t put there by local government. He loves the place. But they’re changing it to a retirement home, which is a totally different thing altogether.

“Trust are citing costs even though residents’ rent has risen by over seven per cent each year for the last two years.

“Trust say residents will be involved in every decision that is made, but their only involvement is being told what will be happening. They are not being listened to and not being heard.”

A spokesperson for Trust Housing said: “We are in ongoing discussions with North Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) regarding the provision of housing support services at six later-living housing developments in North Lanarkshire.

“These services are funded by the HSCP and we recently facilitated engagement sessions on their behalf with the affected tenants to gather feedback on the HSCPs proposal to withdraw the housing support funding.

“The HSCP will include the feedback in their report when their proposal to withdraw the housing support funding is considered by the Health and Social Care Committee. We have not been advised when the Committee will meet to make a decision on the proposal.

“The housing support service currently provided by Trust is only viable with funding from the HSCP. Trust has not made any decision regarding what the services may look like if housing support funding is withdrawn but we are considering options including our amenity and retirement housing models which we deliver in other areas.

“We are committed to providing a housing support service to our vulnerable tenants, and to protecting the jobs of our staff, and we remain hopeful that agreement can be reached with the HSCP so that we have the funding required to do so.”

Elaine McIntyre, service manager, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “Providers have been advised of an initial proposal to withdraw current funding arrangements.

“This review is in keeping with the approach taken by neighbouring local authorities and also reflects the approach already taken within our in-house North Lanarkshire Council complexes.

“It is expected that providers will use available housing benefit/service charge money to fund the activities previously defined under the Supporting People criteria.

“Over the past five months, social work staff have been engaging with providers, tenants and their families/representatives to ensure that feedback influences any changes to current service designs and funding arrangements.

“Where tenant needs impact assessments have indicated care is required, individual arrangements have been made by social work staff.

“Throughout the engagement sessions there has been a consistent message to tenants: no-one will have resulting unmet needs, and any agreed changes will be implemented with a significant transition period allowing for the appropriate supports to be arranged.”

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