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In this episode, we hear from Penelope Green, who left the civil service (after 18 years, holding senior roles at the Department of Health & Social Care and the Cabinet Office) to work for Look Ahead, a supported housing provider. We talk about the benefits of supported housing for people with mental health conditions and for the NHS, and reflect on opportunities to better integrate housing into Neighbourhood Health initiatives.
Penelope Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/penelope-green-83a78985/
Imogen runs a social research consultancy Imogen Blood & Associates:
https://www.imogenblood.co.uk/
IBA's report for the Greater London Authority on Mental Health Supported Housing is due to be published in late 2025.
Discussed in the podcast:
Look Ahead: https://www.lookahead.org.uk
Wates Family Enterprise Trust: https://www.wfet.org.uk
Nat Fed #SOSHousing: https://www.housing.org.uk/our-work/supported-housing/save-our-supported-housing/
Penelope's report: The future of supported housing – how can we deliver more, faster: Scaling capital funding https://www.lookahead.org.uk/we-have-the-capital-now-lets-build-the-homes-say-experts/
HACT – Housing and health services: https://hact.org.uk/tools-and-services/housing-services/
Oaklands St Kilda’s Community Rehabilitation Supported Living Service for young people: https://www.lookahead.org.uk/app/uploads/2025/03/Oaklands-brochure.pdf
Sussex MH and housing strategy: https://hact.org.uk/publications/mental-health-and-housing-a-strategic-plan-for-integrating-housing-and-mental-health-across-sussex/
NHS England: Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/6: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/neighbourhood-health-guidelines-2025-26/
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
1:23 - Look Ahead's supported housing
3:20 - Role in Neighbourhood Health
6:40 - Securing NHS funding for housing support
14:35 - Scaling up in a complex system?
19:15 - Asks of central government: raising profile
23:26 - Barriers to central government action
32:38 - Asks of central government: Housing Benefit
39:10 - Ideal size of mental health schemes
42:23 - Profile and skills of workforce
50:12 - How to change local systems
55:12 - Integrating Housing in Neighbourhood Health
