Homelessness and Complex Needs

Most individuals we work with are helped within our supported housing services. This includes accommodation-based hostel and floating support services.

Different accommodation-based services offer different levels of support – from intensive 24 hours supported housing for those leaving care or hospital, to medium and low-level support where customers typically move on within two years. As a registered social landlord, we can provide these services in our buildings or properties owned by others.

Our floating support services provide flexible support to people with mental health needs in their own homes, helping them to manage and maintain their tenancies and stay well, active and meaningfully involved living in their community.

Our Services

We support people with experiences of homelessness and complex needs through a wide range of services, including:

Individuals in our hostels may have come directly from the streets, prison or hospital. They may have found themselves homeless following a relationship or housing breakdown.

We have developed our hostels to provide Psychologically Informed Environments, that take into account the psychological needs of the individuals who live there, many of whom will have experienced complex trauma.

We support each person to get back on their feet, access the help, advice and psychological support they need, and move on to their accommodation within two years, usually in the private rented sector.

We support people in their own homes, helping them to manage and maintain their tenancies, preventing a return to homelessness. We support them to build skills, get into training or find work, access local services and be part of their local communities.

We also provide properties through the Clearing House as part of the Rough Sleepers Initiative, that people with histories of rough sleeping can access alongside floating support.

Specialist Women's Services

These specialist services work with women who are often very vulnerable and have been at significant risk. Many will have experienced complex trauma, including domestic, physical or sexual abuse or exploitation.

Our teams support each individual sensitively with care and compassion, informed by principles of Trauma-Informed Care.

These services support individuals who may have spent years, even decades of rough sleeping. They may have a long history of multiple exclusions or accommodation breakdown and be increasingly frail or in poor health.

Our teams help them to engage with primary and secondary healthcare, access treatment services and where appropriate, support end of life care.

Our NHS offer helps to keep people in their own homes rather than in supported living or hospital.

We offer a range of services including:

✔ Medication management for those who need some support to take medicine in their own home

✔ Long-term condition support for example for people living with diabetes

✔ Community connectors services – a service to help Community Mental Health Teams bridge the gap between hospital and discharge into the community. Our team are a vital component of hospital multi-disciplinary teams

✔ LIFT GP service – working with GPs to help them to manage patients with mental health challenges and long-term health conditions. According to recent research from MIND, as many as two in five patients now visit their GP about a mental health concern. GPs need a solution

✔ GP/nurses in services – many of our homelessness services have GPs and nursing services operating from them. Improving the lives of many people who might not otherwise be able to access medical help

Some examples of where we are working alongside our partners in the NHS:

✔ Offering support with medication concordance – this service works alongside the Independent Personal Support Alliance to provide support for people who are on medication for both mental health and physical conditions

✔ LIFT CMHT service – Our specialist mental health support workers work alongside the Community Mental Health teams (CMHTs) in various councils. This service is aimed at people that, despite improved mental health, are still seen as too vulnerable to be discharged from secondary care

✔ LIFT GP – This is a service that works with patients with serious mental illness and long-term health conditions. Our team, based in the local community, can bridge the gap between health and social care. We have a community psychiatric nurse based within our service which means we can act quickly if a patient needs immediate help.Our NHS offer helps to keep people in their own homes rather than in supported living or hospital.