The properties for Greater Manchester Housing First come from a number of different sources. A majority of the properties are pledged to the pilot by housing associations across Greater Manchester but we are also working with landlords and letting agents in the private rented sector to ensure we have a good flow of properties across the region for the people we are working with.

The pilot offers a person-based support service, which puts the person in charge of their recovery. They have choice and control of their engagement with other services and we put their goals and aspiration at the centre of the support we offer them.

Housing First is aligned to seven principles one of which is that people have a right to housing and that people don’t need to prove that they are ready to be rehoused or to staircase through temporary accommodation in order to access permanent housing. The aim is to rehouse the person as soon as is possible.

Housing First is an internationally-renowned, evidence-based intervention, which uses housing as a platform to enable individuals with multiple and complex needs to begin recovery and move away from homelessness. Unlike other supported housing models, individuals do not need to prove they are ready for independent housing, or progress through a series of accommodation and treatment ‘steps’. There are no conditions placed on them, other than a willingness to maintain a tenancy agreement, and Housing First is designed to provide long-term, open-ended support for their on-going needs. The evidence gained from Housing First projects both home and abroad in terms of tenancy sustainability is compelling. There is evidence that Housing First provides strong and consistent outcomes for tenancy sustainment for a cohort of individuals that have experienced chronic and repeated homelessness and experienced multiple disadvantages. Rates of housing sustainment from 70 per cent to over 90 per cent have been achieved by various models of Housing First (Pleace and Quilgars, 2013). High tenancy sustainment rates have also been achieved by Housing First projects in Europe. The recent evaluation of nine English Housing First projects found that 74 per cent of current service users had been successfully housed for one year or more by five of the Housing First services (Pleace and Bretherton 2015).

There are no guarantees that any individual tenancy will succeed so if a Housing First tenancy fails, for whatever reason, we will endeavour to understand why the tenancy failed and we will work to manage a move from the failing tenancy to a new one. This approach is informed by another of the housing first principles: Housing and support are separate, so support stays with the person regardless of their accommodation status.

Co-production is integral to the Housing First ethos and allows for people with lived experience of homelessness and its associated issues to shape and tailor the processes we use and services we offer. This allows us to evolve our services, utilising real life expertise to ensure our services are fit for purpose and remain relevant to the cohort we are working with.

It doesn’t have any effect on the waiting list as the people we are working are not ‘new’ and would qualify as priority rehousing cases. Many have been prevented from accessing accommodation due to structural barriers in the housing system. Housing First is therefore just removing the barriers and allowing them to access the accommodation that is their right.

People are referred on to the GM Housing First pilot via their Local Authority. The pilot has been set up to work with people who have experiences multiple barriers and exclusions that have prevented them from accessing accommodation and other services (e.g. drug and alcohol, mental health, etc). In most cases the people being referred have been failed by other approaches to addressing their homelessness and other personal issues, there are no other criteria to being referred.

You can contact the local authority in your area who will recommend the best course of action, which will include Greater Manchester Housing First.

The pilot is happy to receive offers of help and support. If you would like to make such an offer the pilot can be contacted via GMHF@greatplaces.org.uk

If you have a property that you would like to offer to the pilot to a rehouse a homeless person that please send an email to GMHF@greatplaces.org.uk.

If you would like more information on the pilot please sign up for information using the contact page on our web site: www.gmhousingfirst.org.uk

If you would like more information on the pilot with a view to being involved. Please sign up for information using the contact page on our website and give details of your interest: www.gmhousingfirst.org.uk