It’s time to celebrate! The Greater Manchester Housing First (GMHF) pilot is delighted to announce that we have reached a major milestone and rehoused our 100th person.
That’s 100 people who have collectively spent decades either on the streets, or in temporary accommodation and hostels and have not had a home to call their own.
That’s 100 people who will get better access to the support they deserve and need, enabling them to build brighter futures for themselves.
That’s 100 people who can now use the firm foundation of a home to feel safe, build connections in their communities, to re-establish relationships with family and friends, and to create the support networks that mean so much to each and every one of us.
This landmark for GMHF is worth shouting about and yet Housing First is about so much more than numbers; it’s about people and relationships and the power to help that comes from a person-centred approach.
Relationships are central everything we do. Be it; the incredible relationships between the staff and the people referred into the pilot; to those between the staff on the pilot and the external services across GM, ensuring the people we work with have access to the support they need; or the relationships between the delivery partners and social landlords in GM to ensure we have the properties across the regions to give people real choice as to where they want to live.
All of these are key to the success of the pilot.
The importance of these relationships cannot be understated. Our frontline staff spend hundreds of hours, laying the foundations of trust and building relationships in order to provide the best possible support for each individual person.
Our aim is to enable them make decisions about their goals and aspirations and help them make their tenancy a home!
The Central Team in partnership with the GMCA and the 10 local authorities have worked to ensure a smooth process for people to be referred onto the pilot, and that those most in need of our support are targeted.
The GMHF pilot is led by Great Places alongside its delivery partners: Jigsaw, Riverside, Stockport Homes, Regenda / Petrus, The Bond Board and the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust who are driving the pilot forward, with a ‘One Team’ ethos.
Our appreciation goes out to the Greater Manchester Housing Providers (GMHP) without who’s accommodation offers and their commitment to do whatever is needed to assist with rehousing the most vulnerable in our society we would not have made the progress we have. The organisations that make up GMHP have shown that systems can be changed, and barriers that have been inherent in the housing system can be removed to enable people to get into accommodation.
This celebrates the first 100 people we have helped into their own safe and secure homes, and planning is ongoing for our second year of operation, where there is still much work to do.
Here’s to a landmark achievement. Well done to all involved!