Original Tender Description
The Homeless Outreach Service is for anyone rough sleeping in the London Borough of Islington. The service will work at unsocial hours, undertaking shifts early in the morning and late at night to meet people when they are more likely to be bedded down. The team will be the first point of contact for those rough sleeping and will locate individuals by responding to street link referrals, partner notifications and intelligence led outreach. The council is looking for a support provider that is experienced in providing (rough sleeping) street outreach services in London.
The objectives of the Homeless Outreach Service are to:
• Work towards a sustained reduction in rough sleeping in Islington
• Provide a rapid response service to meet people rough sleeping quickly to ensure rough sleeping episodes are brief
• Support individuals to access accommodation, making referrals to emergency housing and support to access longer term accommodation
• Support the Council meet the national target of halving long-term rough sleeping, as outlined in the national plan
• Conduct welfare checks on those known to be rough sleeping, who may be resistant to accept support/accommodation. Maintain regular contact to build rapport and trust, to form the basis needed, to allow more structured work to happen over time
• Provide case management – each individual to have an allocated ‘lead’ outreach worker responsible for overseeing their support, a contact point for service user and other agencies
• To work closely with the Council’s specialist workers and wider rough sleeping intervention partners, to reduce the harm to people sleeping rough and achieve the above aims – this will include making referrals and undertaking joint shifts
• To work collaboratively with other services to ensure that needs other than housing are met, to reduce a return to rough sleeping once in accommodation
• Work with the Street Population Manager and Community Safety Team to address rough sleeping encampments/hotspot areas and associated anti-social behaviour which can be caused by rough sleeping
• To support Islington Council in its community engagement activities relating to rough sleeping
• Participate in bi-monthly and annual street counts
• Participate in all severe weather protocols and work to ensure that no one dies on the streets
• Ensure records on the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) are kept up to date
• Submit monthly and quarterly reports to support operational and contract monitoring meetings
The provision of this service meets a number of the Council’s key strategies: Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024 - 2029 and the Islington Together 2030 Plan.\
Additionally, this service will support the Council to fulfil the requirements related to rough sleeping set out in the Government’s national plan: A National Plan to End Homelessness - GOV.UK
The Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024 – 2029 highlights the unique challenges faced by rough sleepers and those experiencing multiple disadvantage, including two or more of the following: poor physical or mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse and experience of the criminal justice system. The strategy emphasizes the need for proactive outreach services, who can work in a relational and person-centered way, to support people access a suitable and sustainable route away from the streets.
The Islington Together 2030 plan sets out a commitment to ensuring that by 2030, everyone in Islington has a safe, decent and genuinely affordable place to call home and that residents experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, will feel well cared for and supported throughout.