Housing related support
Topics
Housing Support (Supporting People Team)
There are a range of support services available across the Caerphilly borough for anyone age 16+, in need of support to maintain or obtain accommodation.
The services are available across all tenures – people who own their property, rent from the Local Authority or a Housing Association, whether they sleep rough or are currently living with a friend/relative and aren’t able to remain there long-term.
The service is predominantly a preventative solution to help people keep their homes but also provides support to people who are currently homeless or roofless.
Advice, information and housing support services are commissioned by the Supporting People Team via contracted providers.
Free support to prevent people losing their home or to remain within that home includes:
- Help finding housing and maintaining a sustainable home.
- Help to prevent homelessness.
- Support with form filling, reviewing and claiming benefits, appeals or grant applications.
- Support around debts or financial issues, including income maximisation.
- Support around eviction notices or rent/mortgage arrears.
- Support finding work/training/volunteering/education opportunities.
Housing Support is not a care services and therefore do not provide any support such as domestic, cleaning or cooking or advocacy services.
Gateway Process
All referrals for housing related floating support are sent directly to the Caerphilly Supporting People Team, via the website gateway at www.caerphilly.gov.uk/supportingpeople. If you are unable to complete a referral online you can call the team on 01443 864548. (professionals must submit online)
We also have a text facility, whereby a text can be sent to HOUSUPPORT to 81400 and a member of the team will contact the individual to complete a referral form
All referrals completed will need to agree to permission for the information to be shared with the provider and adhere to the council’s privacy notice.
Once a referral has been received by the team, it is assessed from the information provided to make the necessary decision around which provider it is forwarded to.
An email is then sent to the referrer confirming which provider it has been allocated to for support. A text is also sent to the individual being referred to supply the support provider we have passed it on to and their contact number and/or email address.
The support provider will then make contact with the individual and arrange to visit, if any support is declined or non-engagement occurs, the provider will inform the Supporting People Team, after making contact with the referrer to arrange a joint visit if possible.
There is also a referral form for supported accommodation on the same website at the bottom of the page but can be submitted by professionals only. These are forwarded to the provider and once accepted, an agreed panel meets to discuss all referrals received and decide who to offer the placement to. The provider will then take on responsibility of contacting the individual to discuss next steps.
If you feel that you need support or would benefit from the services provided in one of the supported housing projects, then you should contact us on 01443 864548 or email supportingpeople@caerphilly.gov.uk.
Floating Support Services
Floating Support services are provided to the household within a person’s home. Anyone over 16 can be referred for support to assist them with any housing related support need.
The support provided covers a wide range of areas and is offered based on the needs of the individual, there are no set hours provided per week, the service is usually short term, but we do have services that are very low level and ongoing due to the nature of the client group.
Housing support is provided to anyone who could be at risk of losing their home, these individuals may:
- Have to pay extra to stay in their home and now in arrears due to the shortfall,
- Need help to contact others such as the landlord,
- Have difficulties getting repairs carried out, or
- Need help to find employment or education,
- Need support to check they are in receipt of all the relevant income or consider how to pay off debt,
- Need help completing a form or reading a letter
Housing Support could even be explaining the rights and responsibility of being a tenant.
The Floating Support service is available to all tenures, homeowners, private tenants, local authority tenants or even those who are homeless, roofless or sleeping rough. Specialist providers are contracted with to provide support for certain client groups:
- Mental health problems
- Learning disabilities/difficulties
- Substance or alcohol dependency
- Former offenders
- Young people
- Physical disabilities
- Homeless/rough sleepers
If you feel that you need support, please complete a referral online www.caerphilly.gov.uk/supportingpeople. If you have no access to the internet please contact us on 01443 864548 or email supportingpeople@caerphilly.gov.uk Or text housupport to 81400.
Supported accommodation.
This is specific designed accommodation situated within communities across the borough that have some form of staffing, some 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, others are only staffed 9am-5pm, the staffing element depends on the clients’ needs that have been identified through the commissioning process.
The individuals who use supported accommodation usually stay there until they have gained the skills necessary to live independently or are able to move into another form of accommodation with a lower staffing remit, for some this can be short term while for others this could take longer.
The support provider will help individuals with the emotional and practical skills they need to live in mainstream housing, this support includes accessing other services for mental health or substance misuse dependency, as well as developing independent living and budgeting skills. Support is similar to what is provided by the floating support service with the added benefit of having staff available throughout the day and night.
The supported accommodation provision is vital for us to keep individuals within the borough, close to their support network while providing support needed to those who are vulnerable.
If you wish to refer to any Supported Accommodation provision, please complete a Supported Accommodation referral on the Supporting People website www.caerphilly.gov.uk/supportingpeople