How did this programme come about:

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is providing £2.6m of funding via a ‘social impact bond’ for a three-year programme to tackle entrenched rough sleeping across Greater Manchester. 

One Manchester and Trafford Housing Trust led and submitted a successful bid on behalf of the Greater Manchester Homes Partnership, a newly formed body made up of the following social investors, delivery partners and housing partners from across the GM region (see About Us). 

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Who is the project aiming to reach?

Our goal is to work with 400 rough sleepers and gain outcomes for 300 over the three year duration of the programme, helping them to access appropriate accommodation as well as services they are already entitled to. For the purposes of the project, entrenched rough sleepers have been defined as people who have slept rough at least six times in the last two years and/or are well known to homelessness services. 

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What mechanisms are in place to ensure people who have had complex issues can maintain their tenancy?

All individuals will be assigned a keyworker/asset coach and a peer mentor/independent living mentor, who will provide a regular point of contact, monitoring progress, identifying issues and putting support mechanisms in place to give participants the best possible chance of maintaining their tenancy in the long-term.

What package of support will be offered?

A system-wide approach to tackling entrenched rough sleeping has been developed in recognition of the complexities of the issues that need to be addressed if sustainable change is to be achieved. This includes:

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Accommodation

Accessing suitable accommodation is often a significant challenge for the individuals this project is targeting; many will have struggled with previous tenancies and may need to be in or out of a specific geographic area to be close to support networks, or to move away from negative influences. This programme will adopt at a second chance philosophy, giving people who may have previously lost tenancies for a range of often complex reasons to access appropriate accommodation, offering choice and control over when and where they move.

A total of 300 homes have been committed by the 18 Greater Manchester housing provider partners through priority allocation of void properties. Access to accommodation in the private rented sector will be provided by The Bond Board and Salix Living.

A ‘housing first’ approach will be utilised as part of the service, giving people real choice and control over where they live, with housing first principles adopted in all cases to give as much choice as is realistically achievable given the current housing demand.

Supported housing will form an important base for some people, providing the assistance required to help them take the next steps.

Personalised action plan tailored to the individual

Using an asset-based approach, which focuses on each individual’s potential rather than the barriers and challenges, individuals will be supported to access localised and flexible support which meets their needs and aspirations. Support will include:

• Priority access to basic healthcare, including GP registration and dental care.

• Keyworkers in place whose role will be to assist individuals to access support services and community organisations.

• Linking participants into local groups, facilities and activities.

• Access to a £69,500 grant funding pot to spot-purchase bespoke support where required e.g. specific counselling/therapeutic services.

Employment, education and training

Using an asset-based approach which focuses on individuals’ strengths and ambitions, a personalised action plan will be developed with each individual, which identifies appropriate pathways into employment, education or training. Support will include:

• Keyworkers in place to broker and co-ordinate opportunities appropriate to the individual at the appropriate time.

• Peer mentors in place, with shared lived experience, to provide practical support and help develop confidence and self-belief.

• Enhanced links with existing services e.g. Work & Health Programme, Skills for Employment, Working Well and Motiv8.

• 40+ peer mentoring roles and six GROW trainees will be part of the programme delivery team.

• Access to opportunities through wider partnership networks e.g. contractors employed by housing providers delivering on their social value commitments.

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How will the three delivery partners operate across the Greater Manchester region?

Shelter will deliver the programme to 65% of participants covering Salford, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford and most of Manchester using a ‘Keyworker and Peer Mentor’ model.
Great Places will deliver the programme to 20% of participants covering Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and a percentage from Manchester using a ‘Keyworker and Peer Mentor’ model.

The Brick will deliver the programme to 15% of participants solely in Wigan and using an ‘Asset Coach and Independent Living Mentor’ model.

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What do the delivery models offer?

The ‘Keyworker and Peer Mentor’ model, which will be adopted by Shelter and Great Places, will provide individuals with support via:

 

• A keyworker who will coordinate, arrange and sequence a package of holistic support, broker access to services and advocate on behalf of the individual.

• A peer mentor with lived experience who will offer befriending, mentoring and informal support, accompanying individuals to appointments and providing practical help and advocacy.

The ‘Asset Coach and Independent Living Mentor’ model, which will be adopted by The Brick, will provide individuals with support via:

 

• An asset coach who will offer 1 to 1 support which focuses solely on the positives,  identifying and building on each individual’s strengths, assets, experiences and aspirations.

• An independent living mentor who will offer practical help with accommodation, mental health, wellbeing and social isolation.

• An asset broker who will organise access to services tailored to meet the needs and wants of each individual.

 

Using different approaches allows us to test out the approaches, share knowledge and learning between delivery partners, and scale-up best practice.

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What is a social impact bond? 

Social Impact Bonds are an agreement between Government, delivery organisations and social investors, whereby investors agree to fund the delivery of a particular programme and the Government commits to pay for the achievement of certain positive social outcomes. So the financial return to investors depends on the success of the programme.

Projects funded in this way typically involve working with people who might have complex needs, leading to a higher level of risk involved in achieving the outcomes. This means investors tend to come from socially-motivated organisations who care about the outcomes and understand the associated risks.

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What about the people/families on the housing register? Why don’t we help them instead??

Greater Manchester housing providers currently own and manage approximately 250,000 homes across the region and will continue to do everything we can to provide homes for people on the housing register. This includes a commitment from housing providers across Greater Manchester to build more affordable homes for the people of Manchester. 

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What about other homeless people or those at risk of becoming homeless?

This is one element of a three-pronged approach to preventing and addressing issues of homelessness in the city which also includes:

• The Prevention of Homelessness Trailblazer

• The Early Rough Sleepers Grant