Council enters new partnership to deliver housing service

Bridgend County Borough Council is working in partnership with the Welsh charity Adferiad Recovery to deliver a specialist housing support system for people who have repeat histories of homelessness.

Housing First which was first introduced in the county borough in 2019 is a unique approach aimed at helping to tackle homelessness by supporting people with complex and multiple needs into settled and stable homes.

The service supports individuals experiencing homelessness to secure suitable accommodation as quickly as possible, then provides wraparound specialist support to help them have the best chance of maintaining that tenancy and avoid becoming homeless again. It is expected that the service will support and accommodate 10-15 individuals per year.

The coordinated and intensive support varies according to the individual’s needs which could involve alcohol and drug dependency, physical and mental health problems.

A three-year contract between the local authority and Adferiad Recovery will commence on 1 January 2022, replacing the existing Housing First service in Bridgend which is set to expire at the end of 2021, and will be funded by the council’s Housing Support Grant.

This specialist service is key to our commitment to tackle homelessness across the county borough.

Since it began, there have been some significant successes with a number of people who had previously been rough sleeping or unable to maintain accommodation, now maintaining their own tenancy.

In continuing to provide the Housing First service, we are able to support some of our most vulnerable residents at a time when they need it most.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations

To find out more about Housing First in Wales, visit the Cymorth Cymru website.