A housing-led service for women, that provides 10 brand new, long-term homes in a block, with onsite support and communal and office space. Support is delivered by a team which also delivers wider community-based support in a Housing First model.
What went in
Budget:
Grant funded via Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) funding from MHCLG, Housing Benefit covering accommodation costs.
Other resources needed:
Primary resource the commissioned support service, delivering high level, strength-based 24/7 support on site as part of a wider contract. Added value provided via partners in the BCP Homelessness Partnership via collaborative working.
Timeframe to completion:
Opened July 2024 in line with procurement of the linked support provider, Two Saints, following their success in a competitive tender process.
Key deliverables/project outcomes:
- safe and long-term homes provided for women with a history of long-term rough sleeping and who have faced systemic barriers and multiple disadvantage
- sustainment of tenancies and minimal unplanned departures
- community offering an ability to thrive and build on personal strengths.
- reduction of long-term and repeat rough sleeping (for this group specifically and overall).
- reduction in negative and crisis interaction with emergency services (in number and scale)
- improvement in access to health services and in positive health outcomes.
Executive summary
It is important to ensure that when considering what services are needed, and how they should be delivered, that a broad view is taken. With the Ferryman service, this was a culmination of consideration of known data and analysis of trends, considering known or suspected gaps in knowledge and, crucially, listening to the experiences and stories of those impacted.
This led to the recognition that a women-only service was needed, alongside a requirement to flex approaches, ensuring the right service was in place to deliver appropriate support in a setting that speaks to the inherent worth of those living there.
Challenge and context
Background:
In BCP, since we started using the Rough Sleeping Data Framework (RSDF) as Early Adopters in 2022, it became very clear that our biggest challenge in relation to rough sleeping was long-term cases. These consistently accounted for between 50 to 60 per cent of all people rough sleeping. This became a significant priority for BCP Council and the rest of the Homelessness Partnership.
At the same time, as a local partnership we have been participating in the Women's Rough Sleeping Census since 2023. This has highlighted and demonstrated beyond doubt that women are often missed from data in particular, and that their situations and stories largely differ from men in this respect.
Organisational/local context:
The information and data from the RSDF, allied to the results and personal stories from the Woman’s Rough Sleeping Census, demonstrated that there was a tangible need to provide homes that would offer a sustainable route off the street, with suitable gender-based support, and that part of this necessitated women-only provision.
This aligns with national information and practice, but in the past the gaps in data had perhaps presented the illusion that there was not need or demand for women-only services of this kind, with reliance only on refuges where needed.
Key drivers:
- high, though relatively stable, levels of rough sleeping.
- high proportion of those rough sleeping having a long-term experience of this
- hidden homelessness, including hidden rough sleeping, which often disproportionately impacts minority groups
- a need to reduce the above measures by reducing barriers such as verification, providing more options for accommodation, providing more flexible support and increasing coproduction and involvement of experts by experience
- listening and responding to personal stories as well as data.
Challenges and management:
- There were some concerns that due to the location of the service that this could lead to a reluctance in terms of some women accepting.
- This appears to have been mitigated by other positive aspects such as the proximity to Poole Quay, high standard of the homes, the support provision and, conversely, the distance from where some of the women had been rough sleeping previously being welcomed.
- It remains possible that this could be a future issue for some, but not to date.
What we did
- Changed the eligibility of a new build block of flats to provide provision for women only.
- Secured Two Saints as support provider, as part of wider SHAP (Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme) provision.
- Prioritised women with a long-term rough sleeping background, who also required higher-level support.
- Careful management of placement timescales to maximise integration and settling into new homes and factoring in support provider capacity.
Key stages
- Agreeing on availability and suitability of the building and location.
- Finalising the construction and fitting of the homes and office space.
- Procuring and awarding support contract.
- Commencement of support provision.
- Identification of candidates to be offered a home at the service.
- Tenants move in and have input to how service takes shape.
The difference
- High degree of tenancy sustainment, from a context of previously long-term cases who had not previously been offered accommodation that worked for them.
- Recently, two clients were able to access dental treatment and have now got new teeth.
- Providing opportunities to thrive and develop for the women who live there in a safe space.
- Recent feedback from Dorset Working Women's Project is that the footfall with clients sex working has dramatically reduced, they have seven residents that are known to this service and have a history of street sex work.
- One tenant contributed superbly to a workshop at the Homeless Link Rough Sleeping Conference, discussing the difference that the service had made for her, enabling her to build on her strengths:
I was nervous, but I really enjoyed it, I loved going to London. I didn't realise how much went into rough sleeping and homelessness. I really want to do more of this kind of thing; I think it is really important."
Lessons learned
What we learnt:
- It is important to combine the learning and analysis of both data and personal stories, and be mindful of data gaps and disproportionate risk.
- The impact that suitable services and bespoke offers can have, especially where more traditional offers and services have proven not to be suitable.
Changes made:
- More flexible approaches to verification and other barriers which could cause or prolong rough sleeping in the first place or keep it hidden.
- More variety of choice and typology of both accommodation and support.
- Ongoing focus on significantly reducing long-term rough sleeping.
Effectiveness:
- The last four or five months have demonstrated a significant reduction in long-term cases across BCP, from consistently 50 to 60 per cent of cases down to 20 to 30 per cent.
- The Ferryman service has maintained high levels of tenancy sustainment since opening 15 months ago. There has only been one eviction in that time.
- Very positive feedback re the service from tenants and stakeholders
- Very positive integration and collaboration into wider partnership activity from Two Saints.
Future programmes:
- Potential for scaling and further services based on this model as well as other provision for other minority groups
- Further focus on reducing systemic barriers that have previously resulted in inappropriately placing blame on ‘a lack of engagement’ or similar.
Contact
Fraser Nicholson, Homelessness Partnerships Coordinator [email protected]