Mansfield District Council is offering more ways for rough sleepers to get off the streets with the launch of a dedicated new team, extending its homelessness support.
The Housing First project, which supports people with a history of homelessness and rough sleeping, has opened a new dedicated office to be able to provide intensive, person-centred support to its clients.
The new office is embedded within a repurposed block of flats that have been allocated to previously homeless people, enabling them to sustain their tenancies, engage with the community and get help to rebuild their lives.
Cllr Anne Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Mansfield District Council, said: “We recognise the need to support rough sleepers and homeless people and re-house them for whatever issues they have. Our aim is not to hide rough sleepers or homelessness, but to support them going forward and make sure they can have a secure home long-term. We want everyone to know that there is a route off the streets for all rough sleepers in Mansfield.”
Beyond the people living in the flats, the team supports 12 further Mansfield District Council tenants who have experienced long-term homelessness and rough sleeping, and who are experiencing multiple and complex support needs.
Although the project has been running for around six years, the council has now taken full ownership of the project after it was previously managed by external contractors.
Jill Finnesey, Assistant Director of Housing at Mansfield District Council, said: “Housing First is different, and it’s the only one of its kind in Nottinghamshire currently. It’s about offering rough sleepers and homeless people that tailored support to help them rebuild their lives, and we know it works.
“This is the sixth year that the project has been running, and we have seen how it has really turned around the lives of some of our rough sleepers.”
As well as homelessness and rough sleeping, the people receiving support may have also experienced issues such as trauma, abuse, violence and cuckooing—where an individual’s home may have been used by others for activities such as drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and more.
Louise Kenworthy, the project manager for Housing First at Mansfield District Council, said: “Housing First is about so much more than sustaining a tenancy. It’s about creating safety, building trust, restoring choice, growing resilience, and helping people to move forward towards their aims and goals. The approach recognises that people don’t have to prove they are ready for a home before they can have one.
“Already, the team has supported a client experiencing cuckooing, supported another client who had to flee their home because of threats of violence, and responded with compassion and professionalism to multiple disclosures of trauma and abuse.”
To find out more about homelessness support at Mansfield District Council, visit: https://www.mansfield.gov.uk/homelessness-housing-advice/homelessness-2