Accommodation and support pathways

People who sleep rough need access to the right accommodation and support at the right time. Services need to be high quality and commissioned to offer pathways through accommodation and move-on.

Commissioning

Effective commissioning responds to local need and is alert to any gaps in provision. Increasingly pathways approaches are recognised as the best way of ensuring that services meet peoples' needs. A pathway should include assessment beds, progression services, specialist supported accommodation, and move-on options. Our web resource on commissioning and procurement provides a general introduction to commissioning.

Places of change

Homeless Link's Hostels Handbook provides a detailed guide to good practice in running a hostel.

The Places of Change programme is aimed at increasing the number of people who move on positively from hostel or homelessness services to a job or training, and a settled home. The programme focuses around providing welcoming buildings, motivated staff and engaging services. The programme was associated with Hostels Capital Improvement Programme funding but the model can be adopted by any service and used by commissioners.  The Places of Change programme is led by the HCA and you can find more information on their website and in the CLG guide Places of Change: Tackling Homelessness Through the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme 

Preventing eviction and abandonment

Unplanned moves from hostel accommodation and other supported housing projects (in the form of evictions and abandonment) often result in people returning to street homelessness. Repeat homelessness for this very vulnerable client group could be prevented, resulting in better outcomes for homeless people and cost savings for the agencies that support them. Homeless Link has published an evictions and abandonment toolkit, which includes guidance, tools, resources and examples from other services to help you understand the causes of evictions and abandonment in your area and give you ideas and means to reduce them.

Client Involvement

Client involvement empowers former homeless people to participate and be involved in improving services. Creating opportunities for involvement can bring positive results for both individuals and services and ultimately reduce rough sleeping as a result. Supporting People have created a website dedicated to improving User Involvement

Tackling Worklessness

Worklessness can maintain people in homelessness and social exclusion. Services in contact with rough sleepers and homeless people should offer opportunities to build skills and to access traininging and employment. Our webpage on Education, Training and Employment provides more in depth information.

Not all hostels are ideal environments for people who are nearer to the labour market and want to start working. No One Left Out sets out the intention to test new approaches and pathways including development of hostels geared towards supporting and stablising people in employment. To help towards this aim, CLG has published a paper looking at two models of working hostels. See the paper here.

Resettlement and Move-On Options

Positive and timely move-on is essential to ensure that the best use is made of available resources and to ensure positive outcomes for individuals. Homeless Link's Move On  Plans Protocol (MOPP) is a toolkit enabling local authorities and their partners to review and improve move-on options.

Our webpage on Rehousing and Move-On provides further information on move-on including detailed good practice information on using the private rented sector. The website privaterentedsector  promotes private sector housing as a positive housing solution for single homeless people and includes research and policy perspectives