The purpose of the Housing Options teams is to prevent, or support people out of, homelessness and help people in to access affordable housing that meets their needs. This includes action planning and supporting vulnerable people to sustain their tenancies, maximise their income and access employment.
Homelessness Prevention team
The Homelessness Prevention team aims to prevent homelessness through early intervention and may provide temporary accommodation if necessary, while continuing to work with the household to find solutions to their housing difficulties, identify their support needs and appropriate actions to resolve homelessness.
The team consists of Housing Advisors and Move on and Support Coordinators that work with clients in temporary accommodation to identify support needs and remove any barriers that may prevent them from moving into settled accommodation. It also includes Specialist Advisors for homelessness and Home Choice Bristol, and Health and Housing Officers who, all provide expert advice, guidance and training to the teams within Housing Options. Policy and Projects Officers will source properties and monitor standards within our temporary accommodation.
Contracts and Commissioning team
The Contracts and Commissioning team commission services for homeless households including temporary supported accommodation and services for people who are rough sleeping, with the aim of preventing homelessness and supporting recovery.
The team is made up of Commissioning Managers who lead on strategic commissioning for move on accommodation, rough sleeping, young people and distinct housing pathways. They are supported by Contracts and Commissioning Officers who develop and implement the commissioning plans and work with providers to ensure good quality services are delivered.
The team also includes a Housing Support Coordinator who helps improve the effectiveness, accuracy and reporting functions of the Housing Support Register, and a Young Person’s Move On Coordinator who leads on providing more options for young people to move into settled accommodation.
Housing Related Support services
The Housing Related Support Services team consists of six areas where the focus of the work is client facing, working alongside vulnerable service users to prevent homelessness. Each team is made up of Support Workers, managed by Co-ordinators and Senior Support Workers, who help to develop or sustain a person’s ability to live independently, maintain independence and prevent homelessness. These teams work with vulnerable people in their own homes, or in the community, providing housing related support and advice relating to complex substance abuse, mental health, as well advice for deaf, blind and deafblind adults so they can become as independent as possible.
Welfare Rights and Money Advice service
Our welfare rights (benefits) and money (debt) advice service focused on homelessness prevention, working with people who live in supported housing, hostel accommodation or are receiving housing related floating support. The service works with a range of vulnerable groups.
The overall aims of this team is to maximise people’s household incomes and to reduce, help manage or end their debts. This results in reduced poverty, reduced need for home or residential care and, of course, homelessness prevention.