Do you know someone who may be struggling with living independently in their accommodation?
We may be able to assist them by referring their details to a provider who will give them low level, housing related floating support.
Who will provide the service in Suffolk ?
From 2nd June 2008, short term housing related support services will be delivered by SNAP and Flagship Housing Group.
SNAP (Support and Advice Project) is a consortium of local organisations comprising:
Anglia Care Trust, EPIC Trust (part of Circle Anglia Group), Family Welfare Association, Ipswich Housing Action Group, Orwell Housing Association and Together: Working for Wellbeing
Services will be provided across Suffolk by Districts as follows:
- Babergh - SNAP
- Ipswich - SNAP
- Forest Heath - SNAP
- Mid Suffolk - SNAP
- Edmundsbury - SNAP
- Suffolk Coastal - SNAP
- Waveney - Flagship Housing Group
How will the Service Work?
The Service will consist of;
- Central Access and Referral Agency (CARA) - which offers a single point of access, screens and prioritises applications, and manages the waiting list.
This service will be provided by SNAP
- Housing Related Support Housing Service - that provides flexible, short term focused support to vulnerable people to develop skills to achieve independence.
This service will be provided by SNAP and Flagship
- Immediate Response Service - that provides an urgent response to people in immediate need of housing related support to deal with a crisis such as being at risk of losing their home. An immediate response service is likely to be very short term and potentially high intensity support to stabilise or avert a crisis.
This will be provided by SNAP and Flagship.
What type of accommodation do people have to live in to get help?
The Housing Support Service is a tenure-neutral service, which means that it will provide support to people in any accommodation including;
- Homeowners
- Tenants in Council, Housing Association, or private rented accommodation
- In temporary accommodation provided by the Council
- In new accommodation having moved from Supported Housing
How much will the service cost?
The Service is a “non-chargeable” short term service. This means that it is free to people who are resident in the UK and eligible for public funding.
What types of support will the service provide?
The main aims of the Housing Related Support Service are to enable people to live as independently as possible in their own homes and within the community.
By doing this, it will reduce the risks of homelessness, and tenancy failure, prevent people going into or returning to institutionalised accommodation, and reduce risks to themselves or others.
SNAP and Flagship have trained professional staff who will offer assistance and support in housing related activities. We will work with vulnerable adults to support them with:
- Keeping and Managing Accommodation
- Developing Life Skills
- Managing Money and Budgeting
- Working and Training
- Health and Well-being
- Accessing Community and Social Networks
The types of support we provide are aimed to help service users to:
Avoid losing a home
- Maintain accommodation and avoid eviction
- Set up a home for the first time
- Manage day to day activities such as shopping on a budget, menu planning, maintaining the home
Manage Finances
- Maximise income, including receipt of the correct benefits
- Reduce debt
- Obtain paid work
Be Involved
- Participate in training and/or education
- Engage in leisure / cultural / faith and/or informal learning activities
- Participate in any work-like activities such as unpaid work /work experience /work-like experience / voluntary work
- Establish contact with external services /groups /friends /family
Be Healthy
- Better manage physical health
- Better manage mental health
- Better manage substance misuse issues
Be Safe and Secure
- Comply with statutory orders and processes concerning offending behaviour
- Better manage self harm
- Avoid causing harm to others
Be Independent
- Develop confidence and ability to have greater choice, control and involvement
The help we provide does not include:
- Counselling
- Transport
- Personal care
- Cleaning, gardening, shopping and cooking
- Administering medication
- Handling client's money or personal finances
Who cannot receive support from the Service?
The Housing Related Support Service is a short term service. If someone needs enduring / long term support then this service is not suitable for them.
There are few groups of people who are unable to receive a support service.
We can't help people who:
If the Service is unable to assist at this time, staff will signpost people in the right direction to get the help required.
What is an Immediate Response Service?
This is a service that provides an urgent response to people in immediate need of housing related support to deal with a crisis such as being at risk of losing their home.
An immediate response service is likely to be very short term and potentially high intensity support to stabilise or avert a crisis.
Who can receive an Immediate Response Service?
Staff working within the Central Access and Referral Agency (which is part of SNAP), will assess applicants against the risk factors below to determine if an immediate response service is required.
The service will assess a service user's individual circumstances and determine if the provision of housing support would make a difference. Our priority is to prevent people from losing their home.
We recognise that there are agencies such as housing advice agencies and local authority housing services which might be better placed to take action to address the particular problem.
We also seek to meet the needs of people who have moved into a new home from a supported housing project and are at risk of not maintaining that home or their independence.
These are the factors we will take into account.
RISK FACTORS
When determining whether an Immediate Response Service is appropriate, the following factors, where applicable and where known, will be taken into account:
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the immediate risk of homelessness
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the assessed risk of tenancy / accommodation failure is deemed to be acute following a move from supported housing
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the acuteness of the risk to the welfare of the applicant
AND
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The final determining factor will be whether these risks can be mitigated by the provision of a housing related support service and not just housing advice or another specialist service.
How do you apply for support?
Referrals to the SNAP and Flagship Housing Group will be made to the Central Access and Referral Agency (CARA).
Applications can be made by agencies like local councils, social services, hospitals, GPs, and CABs. People can also make self-referrals or be referred to the service by family members or friends.
Referral Agencies can visit web site http://cara-snap.org/ and download the referral form. A Service User can apply for a service by:
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telephoning and speaking to CARA direct on 01473 742690
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writing to CARA , Sudbury House, Dencora Business Park , White House Road , Ipswich , IP1 5LT
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emailing CARA cara@carasnap.org
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texting CARA on 07796 578113
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or be referred by a referral agency
Upon request, information about the service is also available in other languages and other formats such as Braille, large print or audio tape.
What will happen after an application for support is made?
On receipt of a referral, the applicant will be contacted by trained professional staff who will be able to let them know what will happen next and whether they are eligible for support.
The support staff will talk to applicants about their support needs. The discussion with the service user, which could be face to face at an office location or on the telephone will identify if their circumstances warrant an immediate response. If that is the case they will be referred to SNAP or Flagship (if they live in Waveney).
If the service user's support needs are determined not to be so acute as to warrant an immediate response, we will place them on a waiting list. The waiting list will be ordered by district council area. As the service is taking on service users who have previously been supported by other service providers, the numbers will vary by each district council area.
When there is spare capacity we will contact the service user to arrange a support assessment interview at their home.
That assessment interview will determine how Housing Related Support can be of help. If it can, applicants will be allocated their own support worker who will offer planned support tailored to their individual needs. This will include guidance on how the support will be provided, the specified hours of support per week, and for how long the support will last.
Support staff will continue to visit and support service users for an initial period of 13 weeks at which point a review will be undertaken with the service user to determine progress made and the need for continued support. The period we can support a service user has not been defined but as this is not a community support service it cannot continue indefinitely. This support can continue until help is no longer needed, when the support will “float off” to someone else who has support needs.
After this period, if support is required again, service users are welcome to contact CARA.
If the Housing Support Service is unable to assist service users with any of their needs, staff will point them in the right direction to get the help required.
Where to get additional information?
For further information, please visit the CARA-SNAP Website.
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