GR/HLN/Housing First Support Service

The SHAP Housing First Support Service is funded from the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) 2024-28 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). Capital funding has also been awarded for 15 properties to be acquired by Bristol City Council (BCC) for use as a Housing First scheme for clients of the service.

The Housing First Support Service will begin on 1st September 2024 and be funded until 31st March 2028. The contract includes the option for the Council to extend by 24 months, pending confirmation of funding continuation

The value contained in this award notice reflects just the initial term until 31st March 2028, the contract will only be extended should funding for this project continue, it is anticipated that a 2 year extension would be in the region of £504,537, this will be confirmed should the extensions be taken.

The Housing First Support Service will:

1. Plan and oversee a nominations process for 15 Housing First clients based on a panel of key representatives of the homelessness sector in Bristol

2. Provide at least six weeks pre-tenancy and resettlement support to ensure successful transitions into the 15 properties

3. Provide ongoing support for clients once in properties for the duration of the funding, adhering to the principles of Housing First and the 'quality' section of this specification to enable clients to maintain their tenancies

4. Work with clients to link with key specialist services and lead multi-agency meetings and planning according to My Team Around Me principles as described in the 'ways of working' section

5. Support clients who exit tenancies to work towards gaining new Housing First tenancies. In the case that tenancies are backfilled, the caseload may increase beyond the original 15 clients

6. Make decisions on clients leaving the scheme, for example if other accommodation types are decided to be more appropriate, for example if it becomes clear that a client needs an onsite staff presence after all. In these cases the service will seek new nominations and maintain a caseload of at least 15 clients

7. Work with BCC Housing Options colleagues around tenancy management.