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Housing First needs to be integrated with a wider strategy
Housing First must be in addition to preventative services, argues Dominic Williamson
At St Mungo’s we know the value of Housing First as a model.
We welcomed the announcement in the Autumn Budget that the government will invest £28m to pilot Housing First services.
We were becoming concerned, however, that the story being told to promote the approach was too simplistic.
For example, research sometimes compared outcomes from Housing First with poor-quality hostel accommodation you might find in America or elsewhere.
As the largest provider of Housing First services in England, St Mungo’s currently supports around 100 people in nine different locations.
I hear positive stories from colleagues about how Housing First enables them to stick with their clients through the most challenging times, to save a tenancy or help someone transition to another.
I also know that fantastic work is being done across our hostels, other models of supported housing and tenancy sustainment services.
That’s why we commissioned leading housing academic Nicholas Pleace from the University of York, to review a wide range of Housing First research from across the UK, Europe and America.
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His report, Using Housing First in Integrated Homelessness Strategies, confirms our perception that “the evidence base for Housing First requires careful interpretation”.
The report highlights the following:
- Housing First is highly effective in ending homelessness among people with multiple and complex needs, but it does not constitute a solution to single homelessness, or rough sleeping, in itself.
- It must be a part of an integrated homelessness strategy to be effective; successful examples of this approach can be found in Denmark, Finland and Norway.
- The approach performs well when compared to inflexible, abstinence-based services that attempt to tackle homelessness by making someone ‘housing ready’ before they move into their own home. However, many UK services follow a more flexible model, emphasising service user choice and working within a harm reduction framework.
This report is timely, with the government’s cross-departmental taskforce set to create a new rough sleeping strategy.
Housing First will have an important role to play, but we also expect – and want – other accommodation-based services and floating support to be part of the mix.
As the report concludes, to work well Housing First must be one element of an integrated homelessness strategy that includes preventative services and a range of different service models to meet the diverse needs of people who are homeless.
We hope the report will influence and inform the sector, as well as national and local policymakers, to make use of Housing First while creating a comprehensive approach that really can tackle – and eventually end – rough sleeping altogether.
Dominic Williamson, executive director of strategy and policy, St Mungo’s
Housing First: The seven key principles
- People have a right to a home so Housing First prioritises access to housing as quickly as possible without any conditions other than the willingness to maintain a tenancy. Individuals won’t lose the tenancy if they disengage from or no longer require support.
- Flexible support is provided for as long as it is needed with housing providers committing to long-term, flexible support without a fixed end date.
- The housing and support are separate – so housing is not conditional on engaging with the support. The offer of support remains if the tenancy fails.
- Individuals have choice and control. They have the choice, where possible, about where they live. Accommodation should be pepper-potted and self-contained, unless an individual says they would prefer shared housing.
- Active engagement. Staff proactively engage clients and caseloads are small. Support provided as long as clients need it.
- The service supports people to identify their strengths and goals and to develop skills and knowledge to achieve them.
- A harm reduction approach is used – so individuals who, for example, self-harm are supported to undertake practices which minimise the risk of them self-harming.
Source: Housing First England
Cathy at 50 campaign
Our Cathy at 50 campaign calls on councils to explore Housing First as a default option for long-term rough sleepers and commission Housing First schemes, housing associations to identify additional stock for Housing First schemes and government to support five Housing First projects, collect evidence and distribute best practice.
