Supported Housing & Homelessness

We work with integrated care bodies, public health, care and support providers and local authority social care commissioners on a range of health and care issues. We use our knowledge and experience to navigate multi-agency partnerships, cutting through the complexity to draw out consensus and a pathway to solutions.  

Recent projects commissioned by Integrated Care Boards include: 

• Reviewing discharge from hospital schemes and identifying opportunities to improve the pathway for people with mental health issues 

• Mapping health outreach services for homeless people and making recommendations for the future specification of these services. 

• Development of a Strategic Housing Needs Assessment, assessing the number and types of supported housing and independent living housing units needed for people with learning disabilities, autism and severe mental ill health, with five and 10 year forward projections, to assist in making the case for new housing developments.  

Working with local authorities and their partners, we have substantial experience of developing Homelessness Review reports and co-creating homelessness and rough sleeping strategies.

This work often includes data analysis, extensive stakeholder consultation, involving people with lived experience, as well as on-going engagement with commissioned and non-commissioned providers.

The outcomes of our work include supporting clients to develop a vision, key objectives, priorities and a deliverable action plan to implement their strategy, all of which are compliant with government guidance on developing homelessness and rough sleeping strategies as set out in the Homelessness Act 2002.

We work with clients to evaluate their sheltered housing and independent living offer. Previous projects included a full review of the service provided, compared to the local need (current and future projected need) as well as an assessment of the suitability of the buildings. We have  supported clients to evaluate their portfolios and make strategic decisions about future developments, remodelling or re-purposing of their stock.  

Our team brings extensive experience of developing and evaluating different service models. We have an in-house research team who are trained in a variety of research and evaluation techniques, who can adjust their approach to meet the time and resources available.  

 Examples of our work include local evaluations of two of the national Housing First pilots for West Midlands Combined Authority and for Liverpool City Region. An evaluation of the Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG) services in Cambridge and Peterborough. An evaluation of Crisis’s Brent service and its potential to develop a place based and Built for Zero approach to tackling homelessness.  

We have also worked with London Councils on the development of triage tools for homelessness and on a risk assessment tool aimed at preventing rough sleeping.  

We have a tried and tested methodology for carrying out housing needs assessments for a wide range of client groups. These groups include people with learning disabilities, autism, severe mental ill health, addictions, forensic histories, as well as for older people, single homeless and rough sleepers.  Our methodology is flexible enough to be tailored to each client. 

A common issue for our clients is how to forecast future demand – the volume and type of services that will be needed. We work with clients to review their housing data, understand the support needs compared to the current availability of services. We then model future scenarios and support strategy development to address these demands.  

 As well as developing housing pipelines, we support their delivery. This includes investigating possible sites, carrying out soft market testing and identifying project specifications for housing delivery partners. This can also include working with adult social care and health clients to find housing partners to support the development of housing suitable for people with complex needs. 

We have a team of expert consultants who can help you prepare for the changes required as part of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. 

• Supported housing needs assessment – creating a detailed understanding on the number and type of supported housing units in your area, understanding current needs and forecasting future demand. 

• Supported housing strategy – assess the suitability of the current supported housing and whether it meets demand; outline a roadmap to address any service gaps (based on best practice research in the sector); co-production of the strategy with partners and local residents; review monitoring and governance arrangements – audit of roles, responsibilities and information flows within the council and between partners (including commissioned and non-commissioned providers) and assess quality assurance processes; create an action plan to enact the strategy. 

• Supported housing licencing regime – undertake preparatory steps in advance of the new licensing regime such as risk-assessing non-commissioned providers, exploring internal buy-in for soft levers to encourage collaboration with non-commissioned providers, draft a local quality charter. 

We have significant experience supporting both commissioners and providers to create evidence-based, ambitious but realistic strategies that meet the needs of local residents and organisations’ priorities. We will: 

• Work together to set ambitious but realistic goals and objectives 

• Assess the suitability of the current supported housing and whether it meets demand 

• Outline a roadmap to address any service gaps, based on best practice in the sector, and an action plan with a step-by-step outline of priorities 

• Co-produce the strategy with partners and local residents 

• Demonstrate how the strategy will be monitored through governance arrangements – an audit of roles, responsibilities and information flows within the council and between partners (including commissioned and non-commissioned providers) and assess quality assurance processes. 

We are proud to run the Temporary Accommodation Network in partnership with Devonshires. The Network provides an opportunity for commissioners to hear from experts in the field and share examples innovation and best practice.  

We also work with clients on a range of projects related to the management of temporary accommodation. Recent projects include a review of the suitability of a local authority’s temporary accommodation and the use of data to identify opportunities to expand the supply of cost-effective temporary accommodation.