Director
Sharon Townsend BA MBA MSc
Sharon has worked in business and project management within the NHS for over 10 years and became interested in the potential that supported housing offers the NHS, and its role and status within Integrated Commissioning Board structures.
Sharon is responsible for the strategic direction and overall management and administration of SHP. With previous and direct experience of additional needs as a carer for both parents and her brother.
Associate Consultant
Michael Patterson BA MSc MA PhD FRSA
Michael Patterson has been involved in supported housing and social care since the 1980s when he was a mental health support worker.
Since then Michael has worked with a wide range of housing associations, charities, non-profit & private supported housing providers, local authorities & the NHS providing supported housing consultancy services.
Michael is a well-known writer, commentator, public speaker and operational expert in supported housing & social care. He has particular expertise in enhanced Housing Benefit and devised the term “intensive housing management” in 2005 to describe much of what enhanced Housing Benefit funds.
Michael is also a family carer with a young son who will require supported housing for the duration of his adult life.
Projects Officer
Alexander Patterson BA MA
Project officer working in the UK supported housing sector. I manage the coordination of the Exempt Accommodation Project, where I work on property leases and management agreements between supported housing providers and registered providers. I am responsible for planning, managing, and organising SHP’s training and briefing events, both virtual and face-to-face. I undertake research for SHP on issues that matter to supported housing, for example, case law for housing benefit claim purposes.
I have an MA in Translation and good experience in project oversight and event management. I excel in three of the back-office skills that the supported housing sector demands: data reporting, project oversight, and interpersonal communication.
I am fluent in Spanish and proficient in Arabic.