Housing associations have launched a campaign to secure the future funding of supported housing, as the government prepares to publish a review of the sector.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) today launched its Starts at Home campaign, to retain funding at to ensure vulnerable tenants “will always have a home that meets their needs”.

According to NHS research published in March, more than 2,500 people with learning disabilities and autism with “challenging behaviour” are living in hospital settings.

About a third of these people have been an inpatient for more than five years, and 365 people have been in a hospital setting for ten years or more.