The Greater Manchester Housing First partnership has been chosen to continue to deliver the regional Housing First programme across Greater Manchester.
Following a competitive tender exercise, the cross sectoral partnership, led by Great Places, has been selected to continue its work in helping people progress in their recovery journey.
Our partners are:
Throughout the last three years, this partnership and a wider network of organisations across Greater Manchester, including the Greater Manchester Housing Providers, has helped to create a robust network of services across the region to ensure people got support and access to services as and when needed.
The Government-funded pilot, one of the three testing the Housing First model at scale in the country, began in 2019 and has supported 330 people into homes of their own, with a tenancy sustainment rate of 82 per cent.
The new £6.31million funding will allow the partnership to help those on the programme to continue to flourish with wraparound support to ensure that recovery can be maintained.
Programme Lead Emily Cole said she was delighted to be able to continue delivering the regional programme as a partnership and continue the huge progress already made in implementing the model at scale in Greater Manchester. She said:
The initial pilot has made huge progress and is having a real impact on people’s lives across the region. The scale of which should not be underestimated especially within the context of a global pandemic.
Building the partnership and sharing learning from delivery over the last three years has ensured we have a robust network of services and organisations who have been able to help the people on the programme get access to the accommodation and services they needed to progress in their recovery journeys.
We look forward to be able to build on the great work we have done over the first three years, influence system change and continue to build a body of evidence that proves beyond all reasonable doubt that the model works and should be central to the Government’s strategy to combat homelessness.
Matt Harrison, Chief Executive of lead partner Great Places Housing Group, said:
We are delighted that the partnership has been successful in being awarded the new funding. What has been achieved has been nothing short of remarkable given the circumstances under which colleagues were operating.
The new funding will allow the partnership to help people on the programme to the end of their recovery journey, a point where they no longer need intensive support to help them sustain their tenancies and live happy, independent lives.
This is a great result for the partnership and the team and we are excited to see what happens over the next two years.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:
Housing First is an absolutely integral pillar of our comprehensive efforts to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness across our city-region, so it’s great to see that the Greater Manchester Housing First Partnership will be leading this vital work going forward.
The Government has recognised the success of our three-year pilot and the positive impact it has made to the lives of 330 people. Extending the programme means we can build on the success of this partnership model, continuing to offer good housing and wraparound support that will help people get their lives back on track and get on.
These are the kinds of interventions that make a real difference to tackling the ongoing crises of housing and homelessness – crises that risk deteriorating even further as a result of the severe economic climate. Now that Housing First has been extended, we stand ready to work with the Government to secure more investment and deliver the types and tenures of homes that are desperately needed.
