Who We Are
The DSHG are working to improve the delivery of and access to affordable housing in Devon. The membership of the group is focussed on those staff and organisations that can influence this agenda. From July 2007 DSHG has been reformed to include the former Devon Rural Housing Partnership and the old DSHG. The intention of this change is to improve engagement with a wider range of stakeholder, develop a single voice for Devon's Housing issues and to achieve more efficiencies in the running of the partnership. The following organisations make up the membership of DSHG (in alphabetical order):
The Community Council of Devon (CCD)
CCD is a voluntary sector organisation which hosts the 3 Rural Housing Enablers posts in Devon on behalf of the Rural Housing Partnership This includes 2 part time and 1 full time Rural Housing Enabler based at CCD offices in Exeter see www.devonrcc.org.uk. A steering group oversees the work programme of the RHEs see CCD website or the rural housing pages on this site for more detail.
Devon County Council (DCC)
Although the County Council is not a strategic housing authority affordable housing is an important priority within the Devon Sustainable Community Strategy and within the New Devon Local Area Agreement. A planning representative from DCC is an important member of the group. This also helps strengthen links with Planning Officers in Devon.
Government Office for the South West (GOSW)
GOSW link the local agenda with what is happening nationally and are also members of the DSHG. They can help raise the profile of Devon and share good practice about what is working in other areas.
The Housing Associations
Housing Associations are often called Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). Housing Associations are integral to the strategic housing role. Both in the delivery of new affordable housing, and in helping to provide accommodation for those who are homeless or looking for housing through the housing register or choice based lettings. Teresa Butchers, Chief Executive of Devon and Cornwall Housing Group currently represents the Devon Housing Associations on the DSHG.However the number of Housing Associations representatives will be increasing to a maximum of 4 as part of the new DSHG structure as the old DSHG and the former Devon Rural Housing Partnership form one partnership.
The Housing Corporation
The Housing Corporation administers the National Affordable Housing Programme. They attend the DSHG to keep Local Authorities and Housing Associations up to date with Affordable Housing investment issues. The Housing Corporation is also the regulatory body for all housing associations which is useful when looking at and encouraging ways in which Local Authorities and Housing Associations can work in partnership.
The Local Authorities
The Local Authorities all have what is sometimes described as a "strategic housing role". Some of the main components of this function are the identification of housing need in local areas, writing the housing strategy, identifying land and opportuinities for development, negotiating on the actual delivery of housing, working with key partners such as planning staff, housing associations, Housing Corporation, developers and contractors.
Also incorporated in the "strategic housing role" is managing the need for social housing. Some of the main components of this function are early intervention and the prevention of homelessness, investigating and discharging duties under the homelessness legislation, allocation of social housing according to need through the housing register or choice based lettings.
In order to ensure that these issues can be covered effectively, the Local Authority representatives on the DSHG are at Chief Housing Officer level.
Supporting People
In order to provide sustainable accommodation for vulnerable people it is crucial that they are given the appropriate support. A representative from Supporting People attends the meeting to try to ensure that the strategy for ongoing revenue funding is in line with the needs of housing staff across the county. We are also hoping to encourage more cross boundary working between the 3 Supporting People teams in Devon.
There are also a number of partnerships with whom DSHG is developing closer working on key issues this includes:
