October marks the start of London Supported Housing Month, the National Housing Federation has said.

Over the next month, the Federation will showcase the key roles of those in housing association jobs and supported housing jobs in helping vulnerable people in areas such as social care, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse.

The investment in supported housing by housing associations in and around London save the government and local authorities a substantial amount of money. Around £315m is saved in health services with £414m saved in crime prevention. A further £95m is saved by supported housing schemes tacking homelessness.

In support of the dedicated month, housing associations will be holding a number of events ranging from coffee mornings to public seminars discussing the work of service providers. The month will end with a high profile seminar which has been organised by the Federation's London Supported Housing Forum, at which leading industry figures will examine and discuss the way ahead for the sector in light of the increasing demands and fewer resources.

Belinda Porich, head of the London region at the Federation told Politics.co.uk: "The supported housing sector in London involves more than 6,700 services that benefit over 72,800 people and we save the government money. Around £70m invested in support for women at risk of domestic violence for example, has a net financial benefit of more than £185m. That's because we save money otherwise spent on emergency services."