Mansfield District Council has set up another innovative housing initiative to make it easier for former rough sleepers to turn their lives around.
Since 2020-21, with the help of homelessness prevention funding from the government, the council has run a scheme to house rough sleepers called the First Steps, which offers accommodation combined with wraparound support for substance misuse, mental health and tenancy sustainment problems they may have.
The scheme has so far had nearly 300 people referred to it over five years including rough sleepers and single homeless people in need of support and at risk of becoming rough sleepers.
Some are ready to move on from supported housing and into housing where the focus is on helping them into employment.
However, there has been a shortage of suitable affordable accommodation which has led to them remaining in expensive supported accommodation for longer than is necessary.
Because of the higher costs associated with supported accommodation, it presents a barrier to tenants gaining a job and this effectively keeps them in a benefits trap.
The council has commissioned 11 Next Steps homes with funding the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Next Steps is operating alongside the existing First Steps scheme, which is run in partnership with Action Housing, and is continuing for 2025-26 with additional Government funding from the Homeless Rough Sleeping and Recovery Grant.
As well as helping tenants move on with their lives, Next Steps will create a move on pathway out of supported housing to free up space for current rough sleepers on the streets.
Cllr Anne Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “The First Steps scheme has been a very effective way to reduce the amount of rough sleeping in Mansfield. But we needed a slightly different approach to enable those helped by First Steps move on with their lives – to get jobs and to move into unsupported affordable homes.
“Next Steps is that vital stepping stone on the road to a normal life, for people who not so long ago used to call the pavement their home.
“I am so proud that Mansfield is blazing a trail in the kind of help being offered to what are often extremely vulnerable citizens with very complex needs. When you consider how many rough sleepers die each year on the street in the UK, this kind of support can literally be a lifeline.”
Next Steps and First Steps are in line with the council’s vision, ambition and priorities set out in the Towards 2030, A Strategy for Mansfield which includes a priority to protect and safeguard the district’s most vulnerable members of the community.