Contract awarded to PCC to tackle homelessness

Plymouth City Council is pleased to announce the award of a new six year contract to help tackle homelessness.

The new contract for the Supported Temporary Accommodation and Outreach Service, worth approximately £1.6 million in total, has been awarded to BCHA.

BCHA are a specialist housing and social care support provider, helping homeless and other vulnerable people to access the right housing, health, learning and work opportunities. BCHA already provide much support to the vulnerable people of Plymouth, which includes the provision of accommodation to 46 people each night at the national award winning George House where residents are encouraged to access support and learn new skills to ensure they can move on to greater independence, education and work opportunities.

Although there were year on year reductions in homelessness presentations to the council from 2002, the economic recession, combined with welfare reform policies and levels of unemployment, has fuelled an increase in homelessness presentations since 2011. Despite the fact that the council is preventing more people from losing their homes, the number of people seeking help in the city has steadily increased.

Stuart Palmer, Assistant Director of Homes and Communities for Plymouth City Council, said: “Tackling homelessness is a top priority for the Council. Homelessness presentations to the Council rose by 28% in 2012/13. Pressure is growing for more social housing, partly due to welfare other reforms.

“The service is for people assessed by our Housing Options team as needing support under homelessness legislation, and also to support families who are in their own accommodation but who are at risk of becoming homeless.

“As well as preventing homelessness in the first place, the service aims to help people to live independently within the community, improve their quality of life, health and social inclusion, and to reduce the use of Bed and Breakfast for temporary accommodation.

“The service replaces what were previously three separate contracts delivered by different providers. By streamlining these into one contract we hope to make efficiencies and gains such as increased support hours and more housing units, improved communications, more joined up services and financial savings, and more positive outcomes for those people who suffer housing problems.

“We look forward to working with BCHA and see this as an extension of the good partnership work that we have developed together so far.”

Paul Thomas, Head of Housing, Health and Supported Living at BCHA commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded this new contract. It offers BCHA the opportunity to join up all of our local services through providing high quality social housing, training and work opportunities.

“Our aim is to ensure that homeless families and individuals are economically included in their local communities, and to support the vision of Plymouth City Council.”

The new service will start on 1st September 2014.