Our journey started on March 31, 2019, when Greater Manchester was selected as one of three national pilot areas testing the Housing First model at scale over a three-year period.
Our partnership was initially aiming to rehouse 400 people, but due to the pandemic this was revised to 330 people because of the external environment constraints beyond our control.
And now we’re at the end of the three years, it’s with immense pride that we can say that we have supported 321 people into homes of their own with a further 10 people matched to properties awaiting move-in so we have met our ambition.
We are overwhelmed by what we have been able to achieve as a partnership in the three years that the initial pilot has been running.
There are so many people and organisations to thank that this piece could go on forever.
Firstly, thank you to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for being a tireless advocate of the pilot and for homeless projects across the region and the GM Combined Authority for its ongoing support and collaboration.
Thank you to our amazing delivery partners - Great Places, Riverside, Jigsaw, Petrus, Stockport Homes, Bond Board, GM Mental Health Trust, Early Break, Humankind, Community-Led Initiatives, MASH and Creative Inclusion - for your incredible work and who have moved mountains to help drive the pilot in the face of incredible and unforeseen circumstances.
Thank you to members of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers, who have provided the vast majority of the properties to people on the pilot to ensure they had a real say over where they wanted to live and providing homes not just houses and flats.
Thank you to our incredible co-production panel who have helped to shape and tailor the pilot, making it fit for purpose and helping the people on the pilot to have a voice.
And finally, thank you to the people on the pilot for putting your trust in us and allowing us to help you on your recovery journeys.
It definitely has not been easy but it has absolutely been worth it.
When we set out, our vision was to “create a blueprint for excellence which improves the way we work, developed and valued by the people of GM” and hopefully we have come some way in achieving this and providing a huge evidence base for much more Housing First.
It’s been an incredible three years and thank you to everyone who has been a part of it.
Here’s to the future…