Frequently Asked Questions.
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What is Housing Related Support? What is Housing Related 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:
The Service will consist of;
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;
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:
The types of support we provide are aimed to help service users to:
The help we provide does not include
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.
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 carasnap.org and download the referral form A Service User can apply for a service by:
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? Go to:
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