Download Housing Related Support Services

…on proposed changes to Housing Related Support Services
This leaflet provides information on proposed changes to how the Council
commissions Housing Related Support Services. Please read the information
carefully before completing the consultation feedback form.
What are Housing Related Support Services?
Housing Related Support Services enable vulnerable people and those with
complex needs to live independently, or to sustain their accommodation.
These services can be provided as part of an accommodation package
“accommodation based” or made available to people living in their own
homes, or in rented accommodation “non-accommodation based”.
Many of these services are not delivered directly by the Council, but are
funded by us and delivered by other organisations.
The Council may often have to provide these services to meet our statutory
requirements in respect of individuals who are homeless or threatened with
homelessness under the Housing Act 1996 Part VII (as amended by the
Homelessness Act 2002).
In order to be eligible for services, people must be assessed as having high
level and / or complex needs which require support and intervention to live
independently. In the majority of cases people would also need to have a
Local Connection to the Borough of Poole.
What services are we reviewing?
The services considered under this review are described below. Existing
services for other client groups will be unaffected by this consultation;
Accommodation Based:
Adults with Complex Needs and Mental Ill Health

24 Hour Supported Accommodation for clients who are homeless and
have complex needs. The service provides support through
encouraging and enabling clients to self manage their needs and move
on to independent living.

24 Hour Supported Accommodation for clients with diagnosed mental ill
health who are working towards independent living and need low level
support of approximately one to two hours per week to achieve this.
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
24 Hour Supported Accommodation for clients with diagnosed mental ill
health who require medium to high level support of approximately three
to four hours per week to improve personal wellbeing and work towards
independence.

“Housing First” Supported Accommodation and Outreach for ‘hard to
engage’ clients who have entrenched challenging and complex
behaviours including a sustained period of rough sleeping.
Young People and Young Adults:

24 Hour Supported Accommodation for 16-24 year olds delivering
support to access employment, education and training.
Non-Accommodation Based:

Generic Floating Support providing support to households living within
the Borough of Poole, regardless of tenure, who are at risk of being
unable to sustain their accommodation or who may require assistance
to move on to more appropriate and / or settled accommodation.

Floating Support Service (Mental Health) for clients who require
medium to high level support and who have diagnosed mental health
conditions, which impact on their ability to maintain independent living
within their own homes.
Why are we reviewing services?
A number of the Housing Related Support Services that the Council
commissions are due to come to the end of their contract term. This has
provided the opportunity for the Council to consider how these services should
be provided in the future.
The existing support services have been in place for many years but the
needs of those using them have increased or changed during this time. This
has resulted in some services no longer meeting the needs of the client
groups and a gap between what accommodation we have available for people
to occupy and / or the support that is required.
The economic climate has also changed with much less private rented
accommodation becoming available and affordability being an issue for many
in Poole.
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In reviewing the needs going forward we will continue to commission both
accommodation and non-accommodation based services, but propose to
change the number of units available or the level of support on offer in order
to better meet the needs of the client groups who use the services.
A decommissioning plan will be identified to assist those who may need to
transition to the new services or to access other appropriate support.
What are the proposed changes?
Accommodation Based:
Adults with Complex Needs and Mental Ill Health:
It is evident that there needs to be a provision for adults with complex needs
and those requiring high levels of support to manage mental ill-health.
However, within this there needs to be increased focus on assisting residents
to move on when they are ready, encouraging independent living and making
accommodation available for those who need it.
We therefore propose the following changes:

Retain a 24 Hour Supported Accommodation Service for clients who
are homeless with complex needs.

Retain a 24 Hour Supported Accommodation Service for clients with
diagnosed mental ill health but change the level of support provided to
meet increasingly complex support needs.

Create new Transitional Accommodations. These will offer “step down”
provisions from the 24 Hour services for those who have made
significant progress towards independence, but still require some
support to enable them to further their independent living skills. The
focus will be on training, education and employment, community
integration and tenancy sustainment.

An increased “Housing First” service due to a rising number of
incidences of rough sleeping and the unique tailored support required
to enable transition back to living in accommodation.
The proposed services would:

Provide supported accommodation to meet complex needs.

Enable effective transition to independent accommodation.
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
Offer transitional accommodation and outreach support for those ready
to leave supported accommodation.

Provide supported accommodation for hard to engage clients with
entrenched rough sleeping and challenging/complex behaviours and
strengthen support for those who need it.
Young People and Young Adults:
Over the course of the current contracts there has been a significant change
in the number of young people requiring the services and their needs, leading
to a demand for higher and more complex support services which cannot be
provided by the current provision.
We therefore propose the following changes:

Create a new Training Supported Accommodation Service which will
deliver support to 16 – 24 year olds with low to medium needs and
focus on young people developing skills and plan their move on into
independent accommodation.

Replace our current low level needs 24 Hour Supported
Accommodation Service with a reduced but improved and more
focussed 24 Hour Supported Accommodation Service for 16-24 year
olds. The service will continue to deliver support to access
employment, education and training but will also have the ability to
stabilise and support clients with high and complex support needs.
The proposed services would:

Align with demand for appropriate levels of support amongst 16 – 24
year olds.

Provide specialist supported accommodation for 16-24 year olds with
complex and multiple needs.

Provide an improved service that would better meet the needs of young
people, young adults and the Council.

Provide a specialist and focussed provision for employment, education
and training.

Take into account policy and legislative changes that have occurred
within the current contract term.
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Non-Accommodation Based:
Assertive Outreach:
It is evident that those referred for outreach support need help to manage their
responsibility for their accommodation difficulties.
Assertive Outreach support provisions will focus on assertively engaging and
empowering individuals to take ownership and make steps towards managing
the cause of their housing issue. The key aim will be to prevent loss of
accommodation and help people to access and sustain tenancies.
We therefore propose the following changes:

Replace the two current floating support contracts with a single service
that will provide assertive and engaging support to clients living within
the community who are at risk of losing their tenancy.
The proposed services would:

Provide support that will effectively engage with people who need
support and help to change behaviours.

Offer a more seamless approach across the Council than is currently
provided.
Summary:
Across all services, it is proposed that the new model would:

Provide the right intensity of support at the right time.

Put early intervention, prevention and engagement at the heart of
addressing causes of housing issues.

Provide a focus on supporting people to gain independence and
increase engagement in work, training or volunteering.

Provide a joined-up service between Housing and Community services,
Children and Young People’s services and Mental Health services.

Provide a flexible pathway that offers choice and greater transparency
in access.
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
Provide the ability to gain client’s feedback to help shape service
provision.

Provide focused services which allow for better monitoring to ensure
services are meeting their objectives and provide value for money.
How can I have my say?
We would like your feedback on the proposed model of Housing Related
Support Services, and how well these will meet the needs of people in Poole.
You can:

Complete a feedback form at
www.poole.gov.uk/housingsupportconsultation

Request a paper copy by contacting [email protected] or 01202
633447.
If you have any questions about the proposals, or would like help completing
the feedback form please contact [email protected] or 01202 633447.
The closing date for the consultation is Friday 8th July 2016.
What happens next?
This consultation will start on the 13th June 2016, and close on 8th July 2016.
Once the consultation feedback has been analysed, the results will be
presented to the project working group. It is anticipated any changes could be
introduced from August 2017.
Feedback on the consultation will be available from
www.poole.gov.uk/housingsupportconsultation.
We can give you help to read
or understand this information
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