Joint working: Reality or rhetoric in housing the mentally vulnerable?

Effective joint working has become an essential component of public-service delivery. The interface between the public, the private and the third sector is increasingly complicated as co-working and the possible pooling of resources is required to meet greater service demands. Within housing, joint working has emerged as a particularly thorny problem, since a legislative gap within the Housing Act 1996 has required other organisations to step in and meet unmet housing needs. This article explores the nature and impetus for joint working in relation to social housing for the mentally vulnerable. It draws upon empirical data collected from an ESRC-funded (Economic and Social Research Council) project called 'Housing The Mentally Vulnerable: The Role Of Charities'. It examines the benefits that can accrue from successful collaboration, the barriers to joint working that currently exist and the need to draw upon known mechanisms that could facilitate the joint working process.