The day ’ s second session focused on making the right connections between service users and housing , service users and commissioners , and properly connecting up data to get a true picture of what was happening on the ground
Session 2
Connecting the dots
The day ’ s second session focused on making the right connections between service users and housing , service users and commissioners , and properly connecting up data to get a true picture of what was happening on the ground
Session two kicked off with a presentation from Phoenix Futures ’ housing provision team , on how supported housing can make the right connections for people moving towards recovery . The 50-year-old charity provided services for more than 20,000 people a year and was also housing association , Vicky Ball told delegates . It currently had 150 rehab beds and 185 supported bed spaces across England and Scotland . ‘ We own some properties , lease some from other landlords and manage properties for other agencies .’
Opiate users were generally people with very high levels of housing need , she said . ‘ The advent of universal credit has made it very hard for this stigmatised group to access housing . Local authorities spend around £ 800m a year on drug and alcohol treatment , but if people come out of treatment with somewhere to live they ’ re much more likely to sustain their recovery .’
‘ In residential services we identified that people were struggling when they went out into the community because of a lack of suitable accommodation post-treatment ,’ said her colleague James Graham . In response the organisation had developed an approach that included supported housing , recovery housing and independent living properties , he said . Supported housing provided a safe environment for people who had just left treatment , with high levels of staff input . ‘ There ’ s support planning , guidance , advice ,
signposting , advocacy , and lots of peer support and partner provider involvement .’ Recovery housing , meanwhile , had less input from staff as ‘ by this point people are generally getting on with their lives in the community and have found a direction . But staff are always there if they need them .’ And finally with independent living , Phoenix were ‘ basically just their landlords ’, he explained . This approach provided a safe environment for people to develop all aspects of recovery capital and give them an opportunity to explore their future goals and aspirations , he said . ‘ When people come off drugs it can leave a big void in their lives .’
Service user Julie Hobson told the session how she had come to Phoenix with a serious alcohol problem that had involved homelessness , domestic violence and multiple stays in hospital , and was allocated supported housing . ‘ I had a housing support worker who helped me , and that gave me a stable environment ,’ she said .
She now had a job and was volunteering as a peer mentor , while Phoenix had also helped her re-engage with her family . After 11 months she ’ d moved from the core housing provision to shared accommodation with two other people – ‘ the support is still there but we have a little bit more independence ’. A support worker was onhand to help with areas such as benefits and community involvement , and she would be moving on to the independent living stage in the near future , she told the conference .
‘ Providing a safe environment for people to devel - op all aspects of recovery and give them an oppor tunity to explore future goals .’
Julie Hobson , James GraHam ( toP ) and Vicky ball of PHoenix futures ’ HousinG ProVision team
10 | drinkanddrugsnews | March 2018 www . drinkanddrugsnews . com