Local councils and voluntary organisations working together to support people experiencing homelessness

Hastings Borough Council,  Rother District Council, Education Futures Trust, Fellowship of St Nicholas and Sussex Community Development Association are working together on an exciting new initiative; the Live, Work, Thrive Project.

The project works with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to support their participation in training or education, find employment, and help them to find a long-term home, as well as improve their physical and mental health. The Live Work Thrive Coaches provide intensive support to participants and work holistically with people to help them set and achieve goals to aid their progression out of homelessness.

The Live, Work, Thrive team have been supporting participants to find affordable and good quality private rented accommodation, but this is a challenge in an area which is increasingly popular with renters. Having stable accommodation is often the first step to finding employment. If you are a local landlord or agent and interested in our landlord offer or leasing scheme, or a local employer who can offer employment or volunteering opportunities, please contact Ella Hancock at liveworkthrive@hastings.gov.uk .

Cllr Andy Batsford, Hastings Borough Council Cabinet member for Housing, said,
"The Live, Work, Thrive project has been up and running since October last year, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, is already achieving great outcomes, supporting people to access volunteering opportunities, start training courses and find employment locally. The team has recently been trained to deliver tenancy training to clients, giving them the knowledge and skills to maintain a happy tenancy in the private rented sector. A key part of the support the Live, Work, Thrive Coaches offer is helping their clients navigate existing statutory and voluntary services available, and making referrals where necessary. In this way the project is achieving the best outcomes for its service users, but also increasing the amount of collaboration between local agencies."

Cllr Terry Byrne, Rother District Council Cabinet member for Housing and Homes, said: "We are delighted to be working with our partners on the Live, Work, Thrive Project.

"Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the project is already succeeding in providing education, volunteering and employment opportunities to some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

"If you are a landlord or an employer who may be able to provide help and support to local people experiencing homelessness, please do get in touch."

Live Work Thrive is partly funded by Connecting Hastings and Rother Together (CHART). CHART is a Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Programme with access to European Social Funds (ESF) to support projects that bring a fresh approach to tackling deep-rooted problems.