Greater Manchester Homes Partnership

Challenge

There are an increasing number of rough sleepers across the Greater Manchester area, with seven of the ten boroughs recording significant increases between 2010 and 2015. In Manchester itself, this increase was 900% – from seven to 70 individuals sleeping rough (and this number is almost certainly an under-estimate).

Approach

Greater Manchester Homes Partnership works with entrenched rough sleepers over a three-year period, providing the intensive emotional and practical support they need to maintain successful tenancies – from helping with addiction and other health issues, to facilitating access to appropriate health, training and employment services.

Revenue model

This is an outcomes-based contract, so the commissioner only pays for measurable improvements in people’s lives. The target outcome of the programme is that individuals can sustain tenancies – which in turn gives them the stability required to improve their health, gain access to training opportunities, and find and sustain employment.

Impact

Greater Manchester Homes Partnership provides a stable, independent home to give the participants the stability required to improve their health and training and employment opportunities. To date, 447 rough sleepers have entered into the programme, and over 300 have sustained accommodation for six months or more.

Forced to dramatically reduce face-to-face contact in line with Government advice, the delivery partners have been very quick to adapt their service delivery. Within a matter of days they were making arrangements to ensure that every participant had access to: a mobile phone and credit, prescribed medication, food and household essentials, a comfortable home with power, access to support services (drug, alcohol, mental health), and friendly and personalised support.

The person-centred nature of this programme has also enabled team members to find innovative new ways of delivering support: for instance, one has started buying the same newspaper as one of his participants, so they can complete the weekly crossword over the phone together.