February 13, 2017
|By aissagallie
|
Foundation will take a role in the BEACON CONSORTIUM – a new citywide housing initiative for Leeds. The Leeds City Council Chief Officer for Strategy and Commissioning, Bridget Emery, sent the following statement to stakeholders to announce the service:
Beacon– has been commissioned to provide a new city wide Housing Related Support (HRS) accommodation service for vulnerable adults, couples and families to prevent homelessness, and address housing need. Beacon will be delivered by a consortium made up of Leeds Housing Concern, Touchstone and Foundation. The Service will provide accommodation and support and enable individuals to have choice and control through a personalised, responsive and flexible service promoting independence whilst improving and sustaining individuals’ long term wellbeing and independent living.
The service will work in partnership with a wide range of other agencies to help all clients, particularly those people who have multiple or complex needs to tailor their own personal ‘recovery journey’.
Accommodation will be delivered through a mixture of intensive accommodation with access to staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and community dispersed properties with visiting support. Delivery will be focused upon the following themes: Prevention of homelessness and early intervention, sustainment and a person’s ability to live in safe and suitable accommodation and integration -supporting people to participate and access the services and social/recreational opportunities available to them.
Peer support, befriending and volunteering is an integral part of the service and part of a range of options available to clients. The service will ensure that all clients have the opportunity access this as part of their support package.
In addition a number of accommodation based housing related support services have been retained as part of the wider model. These services include the; Overnight Centre and Hub, Regents Terrace, Carr Beck, Kirkstall Lodge and RD Willis Properties.
These services are strategically important to the city working with some of the most vulnerable people with multiple support needs who are at risk whilst being street homeless, rough sleeping and vulnerably housed.
The services will proactively engage with, and be accessible to individuals from a diverse range of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
A 6 month mobilisation period is underway from 1st January 2017 and during this time we look forward to working with Beacon to finalise arrangements for service delivery. Further communications will be circulated in due course.
If you have any queries about these services, please contact Veena Kumar (Commissioning and Contracts Officer: veena.kumar@leeds.gov.uk) regarding the Housing Related Intensive and Dispersed Accommodation Service.