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FOI request (FOI-83615994)
'Floating' tenancy support services which can be accessed by people moving on from rough sleeping (street homelessness)
Requested Thu 02 August 2018
Responded Fri 31 August 2018My request is for information about services commissioned in your area that provide ‘floating’ tenancy support services which can be accessed by people moving on from rough sleeping (street homelessness).
People who are sleeping rough are sleeping in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments), or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations).
Rough sleeping does not include people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest, squatters or travellers.
We are interested in services which provide mobile support for people who have a history of rough sleeping who have moved on into general needs housing.
People do not always “move-on” directly from street homelessness, but from a number of different places, including homeless hostels, assessment centres, and shelters. We are interested in services that can be accessed by people with a history of rough sleeping, including individuals who are moving out of these types of accommodation in addition to those moving directly off the streets.
Floating support can include a broad range of services intended to enable people to live independently with a focus on preventing the loss of housing (tenancy sustainment) and, in the case of people who have slept rough, a return to the street.
We are particularly interested in mobile support delivered to those in general needs housing in any tenure, for people with low to medium support needs, with elements of practical and emotional support.
We understand that some local authorities commission generic floating support services which are provided to individuals with a range of different needs and experiences. Please include details of these services below if they are available to people with a history of rough sleeping.
Please note that Housing First services should not be considered floating support as there are several key differences between the two interventions. Housing First services all share the same core principles – to provide intensive support for as long as is needed, often for people with high support needs. It is this intensity of support, within a clearly and consistently defined ethos of service delivery, which differentiates Housing First from floating support. Housing First tends to have a far smaller case load per worker to enable this intensive support. Please do not include details of Housing First services if they follow these principles and provide intensive support which is not time limited.
We are aware that floating support services may not be commissioned directly by individual local authorities, but may be jointly commissioned by other administrative bodies such as the Greater London Authority or a combined authority. This request will also be issued to relevant other bodies. However, if you are aware of services which are jointly commissioned and delivered in your local authority, we would be grateful if you could still provide all the information requested below. We would also be grateful if you could provide details of services provided in your area which are commissioned by any other agency.
Please provide answers to the following questions:
Have any floating tenancy support services (as defined above), which can be accessed by people with a history of rough sleeping, been provided within your local area at any point between the financial years 2013/14 – 2017/18? Please specify the years in which services have been provided.
If such services have been provided over more than one financial year, has the value of the contracts for these services increased, decreased or maintained the same value since 2013/14? If a service has been decommissioned, please specify this below – including the year in which the service ended.
If the answer to question 1 was yes, then please provide the following details of these services:
- An itemised list of any services that provide floating tenancy support services which are available to people with a history of sleeping rough that you (or another agency) has funded or delivered in your local area between 2013/14 and 2017/18
- A brief description of the service, to include details about who the service is for and how many people benefit from this service annually
- Who the service is commissioned by
- The value of the contract in each specified financial year
If any of this information is already in the public domain I would be grateful if you could direct me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary.
I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.
If you need to contact me regarding this request, then please email foi@mungos.org
Response
People with a history of rough sleeping can be referred to the Seaview Accommodation Support Service (SASS). Hastings Borough Council and the Seaview project co-commission a rough sleeper outreach service and these individuals are usually referred to the SASS project once they have been found accommodation.
The SASS project provides support to former rough sleepers with tenancy sustainment, building of life skills and engagement with health services. The project supported 17 individuals in 2017/18 and has a current case load of 12.
The SASS project is funded by contributions from local crime reduction partnerships, district and borough councils and the Seaview project.
East Sussex County Council also commission a floating support service, which also provides support to former rough sleepers. Details of this service are available at https://www.southdown.org/how-we-help/housing-support/home-works-east-sussex
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