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Repeat and hidden homelessness
It is evident that more people are vulnerably housed or sofa surfing than we knew, and it is particularly apparent that certain, potentially vulnerable, groups are disproportionately affected by hidden homelessness and its negative impacts.
Our challenge is to reach those people affected in the first instance and ensure they then have access to the appropriate services and interventions; we are particularly interested in making help and services more accessible for young people, sex workers and people from an LGBTQ+ background. We are seeking to ensure that pathways into services are accessible to those we know are hardest to reach and they take account of their specific support needs and characteristics.
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Having the right services working in the right way
Leeds is fortunate to have so many different services, offering expertise and support on various aspects of prevention and responding to homelessness.
Whilst there is already a strong partnership approach in Leeds the vast range of services can present us with issues in terms of effective pathways and coordination, and duplication. It is therefore a priority through this strategy to further strengthen integration between services, ensuring as much efficiency as possible and effectiveness in terms of ensuring clients get the specific support and assistance they need.
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Providing the right accommodation and making it accessible
The pandemic has helped services across the city to understand what the ‘right offer’ of accommodation looks like, both at an urgent intervention stage and a second, longer term stage. When decent accommodation, with food, wraparound support and most importantly its own front door, was offered to people, they accepted.
Drawing on extensive consultation with our service users, we are looking to ensure we have the right mix of accommodation available which will ensure sustainable tenancies and support our efforts in reducing the number of people sleeping rough in Leeds.
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Health and wellbeing support
This priority recognises that eradicating homelessness, and specifically rough sleeping, isn’t only about a lack of accommodation.
Offering accommodation without addressing someone’s health and wellbeing needs is short sighted and often leads to tenancy breakdown, repeat homelessness and an already disadvantaged client becoming more so.
Through the strategy we will continue to broaden the system’s understanding and response to rough sleeping so that the health needs of individuals along with drug, alcohol and sexual health services are given additional importance.