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Greater Manchester to launch £1.8m Housing First programme
Greater Manchester is set to launch a £1.8m Housing First programme for the region.
There are 15 housing associations and two private rented sector landlords that will provide 270 homes for “entrenched” rough sleepers over a three-year period – those who have slept rough regularly over the past two years or are well known to homelessness services. This will be paid for with a £1.8m entrenched rough sleeping social impact bond from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A consortium of 10 councils, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), public services, business and the third sector have come together to form the Greater Manchester Homes Partnership. The consortium has been selected as the preferred bidder for the bond and this will be voted on at a GMCA meeting in December.
The government has backed Housing First and Sajid Javid, communities secretary, has said he wants to roll out the programme across Britain.
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Under the programme rough sleepers will be given “intensive support” to be able to hold down a tenancy as well as support to access health services, training and employment.
The 10 Greater Manchester councils have also changed the way they provide emergency support in cold weather. Help will now be available to rough sleepers one night after temperatures drop below zero. Currently, local councils have a legal requirement to provide enhanced support only after three nights of sub-zero temperatures. This could mean emergency homelessness centres with beds and showers could open earlier.
The councils have also agreed to give homeless people free access to documents which they need to secure housing, such as birth certificates.
The Greater Manchester Homes Partnership has been put together by One Manchester, Trafford Housing Trust and Bridges Fund Management.
Inside Housing’s Cathy at 50 campaign calls on councils to explore Housing First as a default option for long-term rough sleepers and commission Housing First schemes.
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “As winter draws in, it is vital that the right support is there for people who are sleeping on our streets. These measures are ground-breaking and genuinely innovative. It shows that Greater Manchester is leading the way when it comes to helping those in the direst of need.
“This also shows the power of partnership as none of this would be possible without the leadership which has been shown by our 10 local councils, other public bodies, housing providers and both the private and voluntary sectors. These measures will save lives this winter, and are an important step towards ending rough sleeping in Greater Manchester for good.”
Dave Power, group chief executive of One Manchester, said: “Our ultimate aim is to ensure that people who have found themselves back on the street time and again have the chance to start a new life in the right kind of home, with the right support.
“This funding enables us to do this by responding to the individual circumstances which lead people to a life of sleeping rough. This is a hugely important initiative and we are ready to take action, now. Thanks to this collaborative approach we have an opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives by providing the right kind of tailored support.”
