The National Housing Federation has joined forces with the Housing Minister Grant Shapps to highlight the damage disproportionate cuts to Supporting People-funded services would have on some of the country's most vulnerable groups.

In a joint letter, published in the Telegraph, David Orr and Mr Shapps – along with Women's Aid chief executive Nicola Harwin – warn that women fleeing domestic violence, homeless people and people with mental health problems could be "forced to fend for themselves" as a result of cuts to the SP programme.

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The letter says: "Although the Government has given relative protection to the £6.5bn Supporting People programme – reducing the grant it gives councils to fund these services by 12% over four years, some local authorities have announced they will make cuts of up to 50% this year.

"Not only would cuts of this level hurt vulnerable people but they would not actually make financial sense.

"Without early identification and support, vulnerable individuals will quickly reach crisis point as their needs escalate and become more severe, leading to greater costly demand on acute health services, homelessness services, the criminal justice system and carers.

"Local authorities need to look at how they can best cut costs. But this shouldn’t mean targeting disproportionate spending reductions on programmes that support the most vulnerable people in their communities."

The Federation has been lobbying local authorities against making disproportionate cuts to their Supported People services.

(CD/KMcA)