Service Redesign

The services delivered to households who find themselves in housing crisis in Inverclyde are changing.

People who do not have secure accommodation are not all the same.

The circumstances that lead to losing your home are varied and often very complex therefore it is no longer appropriate to treat everyone in the same way or offer them the same type of accommodation while they get their lives back on track.

A programme of change is already underway in Inverclyde and this will not only affect the way we deliver services but also how we accommodate and support people to move through their journey and go on to live sustainable lives.

A two year action plan has been developed to monitor the progress of change and regular updates will be published to keep you informed of the delivery of services during the process and the positive results we achieve as we transform.

Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership are committed to ensuring that people who use our services receive the best possible care which meets their needs and that a person-centred approach is delivered for anyone experiencing the trauma of homelessness.

 

Rapid Rehousing Support Team

The new in-house Rapid Rehousing Support Team has now been in place since November 2022 and continue providing intensive support where required. This team in combination with the team of two Resettlement workers will work to ensure best outcome for client tenancy sustainment.

A message from the Rapid Rehousing Wellbeing Co-ordinator:

A key change to our service is the introduction of a new in-house support team.

Working to the principles of Housing First, our team of eight Support Worker’s will work with some of our most disadvantaged and vulnerable service users to help them break the cycle of homelessness and ultimately secure a permanent tenancy. 

Based within the Inverclyde Centre, our support team will work alongside the person to provide support in a range of areas, of all which aim to promote tenancy stability and wellbeing. Key support areas will include tenancy management skills, budgeting, advocacy, access to other services, healthy choices and community engagement.

The support offered is individualised, person centred and ongoing for as long as needed.

 

Housing Options Advice

We are expanding our services to increase the access to housing options advice available in the local area. Our service is able to provide you with information on the local housing options, assist you to access the appropriate services for your housing situation and if your circumstances reach a crisis we will carry out a homeless application for you in order to provide you with settled accommodation.

This is all part of our ongoing change programme to transform the service we provide in Inverclyde.

 

Change Programme Progress

The service is undergoing a period of real challenge but despite growing pressures, staff have continued to push though the challenges and provide good outcomes for clients.

HNS ALL IN FOR CHANGE ROADSHOW

The Homeless Network Scotland Change Team have mobilised across Scotland to gather the personal and  professional experience of homelessness across the country. Greenock was the second stop of the tour, with a session held on the 22nd February. The session was well attended with representatives from Inverclyde HSCP, North, South and East Ayrshire Councils, Inverclyde Faith in Throughcare, etc. and the facilitators at HNS.

In the session, professionals shared ongoing practices that were working in their area, where they were facing the greatest challenges and what would they felt would help alleviate some of these challenges.

The team will be arranging to speak to Inverclyde’s population who have lived experience of homelessness to help drive forward change.

CHRISTMAS AT THE CENTRE

A big thank you to Branchton Community Centre for their continued partnership this year to provide a 3 course dinner to our residents and some of the most vulnerable clients we have in the community. Further arrangements were made with The Scran Man, Open Door and Robert Alexander Butchers to provide food to clients over the festive period.

Donations from River Clyde Homes, The Rotary Club and thoughtful members of the public meant that clients were additionally able to receive a Christmas Gift.

Other positive news..

  • Our new Team Lead for the Housing Options, Assessment and Support function of the service joined us in January 2024. Jackie’s expertise and previous experience come at an important time when we are seeing the number of vulnerable women accessing the service rise.
  • The Rapid Rehousing Support have organised Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid drop in sessions for clients who wish to access this specialist support.
  • One of the Assessment and Support Officers, Veronica Rasmussen, won Volunteer of the Year at the HSCP awards. Well done Veronica!
  • We now have some wonderful artwork displayed in the communal lounge of the Inverclyde Centre. This art was created by the talented Tragic O’Hara through a workshop on the experiences of those who had been homeless, service staff and partners and the history of the Centre itself.
  • We have a stall at the upcoming Shine A Light  recovery event at the Beacon Arts Centre on 8th March from 10:00-16:00. 
  • The opportunity for a job swap with staff at our largest RSL partner, River Clyde Homes, has opened up for staff at all levels. Interested staff should put their name forward to Jackie or Lesley.
  • Greenock has been selected for a face-to-face training session on the new Housing Options Toolkit modules. This is only open to local authority staff currently but we are keen for RSLs and stakeholders to obtain Housing Options training in order to heighten opportunities for homeless prevention.

 

Case Study—*Anonymous Male, 43, Greenock

John* is one of our longest open cases, with his current homeless application dating back to September 2021. Prior to this he had frequented the service multiple times, and this is majorly down to recurring offending, having been in and out of prison most of his adult life. Previous homelessness applications were closed because of a prison sentence or alternatively, lost contact and his current section 5 referral has additionally had to be restarted due to a stay in remand during his current case.

John describes himself as institutionalised and said that he was known to “taking panic attacks and that because I knew I was getting out of the jail and I didn’t know what was    happening”, that “people would rather be in the jail than be running about the streets homeless”. He stated that he knew of people purposefully offending to go back to jail and while he himself had not gotten to this stage he had “felt like it a few times”.

John has a long history of substance use and is known to the local ADRS team and additionally suffers with health issues like epilepsy and issues with memory resulting from brain injury.

In June 2023, John was identified as a potential Housing First candidate and put forward to the team for support. At this current time his support is 4 hours per week, however it is the plan to increase this once he moves onto his settled tenancy.

Support has been particularly good for John. He continues to actively engage, reflecting “I have been in the Inverclyde Centre over the years and never had that help”, going on to describe the help he has received as “bang on”. Support has helped him to attend doctor’s appointments, community groups, sort his benefit situation and “simple run of the mill things you would get complacent in”, saying that he often struggled to stay on top of general housekeeping but that he has “noticed a big difference” in the support received from the service.

It was out of character for John to accept this support, stating “over the years I’d have knocked it [the support] back” but that by accepting support he built trust with his worker. He is additionally being supported by the local Inverclyde Faith in Throughcare charity and said they had a big part in helping John stay out of prison and that there was partnership working between his rapid rehousing support worker and the charity. John said that in the past that if he “got passed a few months [being out of the prison], I was doing well” but that his “last sentence was three years ago, which is brilliant”.

He has now started a college course and leads a small football team in his spare time. Without support John said “I don’t think college would have happened, don’t think I would have stuck at the football”.

In terms of housing situation, John and his girlfriend have said “where we are now is ideal for us…. [we are] hoping to keep it”, and that they “couldn’t be in a better area”. This however is a temporary accommodation placement, but the service is looking into the possibility of flipping this tenancy to permanent accommodation when the opportunity arises. In terms of general housing management John has assured “I’ve got a routine set” and that him and his partner are “doing our best to keep it tidy” and that this was a marked improvement from the kept condition of their previous temporary accommodation placement.

John has described the service as “taking on my case hands on”.

 

CHALLENGES

  • All previously decommissioned rooms had to be reopened and there was an unfortunate return to the use of B&B unsuitable accommodation in order to keep up with pressures on the service due to a lack of clients being able to move on to permanent offers.
  • We had a small fire towards the end of January, causing another temporary accommodation unit to be taken out of use and significant disruption to staff work spaces.
  • The Interim Head of Service has left the HSCP and due to the extended vacancy in the service manager post the service effectively lacks leadership at this time however, another Interim Head of Service, Alan Best, has taken up position for the time being until a more permanent appointment is made and we are looking to fill the Service Manager vacancy as promptly as possible.
  • Staff shortages continue to cause pressures, particularly within the property team. The service as a whole has faced staff recruitment and retention issues in the past couple of years however homeless services nationally appear to be facing similar challenges. Six vacancies within the service are now live on myjobscotland.
  • Our preferred model for the service restructure was taken to SMT but due to ongoing budget challenges and the  ambitious four tiered proposal we have had to return to the drawing board. Staff and stakeholders are reminded that the service redesign is still very much ongoing and we continue to look at opportunity for positive change at all levels.

 

For more information please contact:

The Inverclyde Centre, 98 Dalrymple Street, Greenock PA15 1BZ

Phone: 01475 715 880

Email: HOHAS@inverclyde.gov.uk