Accessibility
Home
Structure
Membership
Funding
Sector Support
Volunteering

Southampton Voluntary Services

promoting voluntary action

Liaison - Representation - Development Work - Strategic Partnership - Promoting Volunteering & Voluntary Action - Quality Services - Governance & Performance


Southampton Voluntary Services
actively promotes equality & embraces diversity


Street Homelessness Prevention Team
Southampton

Contact Details:
Southampton Voluntary Services
Voluntary Action Centre
Kingsland Square
St Mary Street
Southampton
SO14 1NW

Tel:        023 8021 6000
Fax:       023 8022 2929

Street Homeless Prevention Service  - Leaflet
Day Centres - Information Leaflet

Resource Description:

The Street Homelessness Prevention Team (SHPT) consists of 3 support workers, a volunteer and befriending co-ordinator and a team manager. They are funded on a short-term basis by the DETR to work on reducing the level of rough sleeping in Southampton. A consortium of agencies oversees the SHPT, which includes representatives of Health, Social Services, Housing and Homeless agencies.

Service Provision:

The SHPT is available from 9-5 Monday to Friday.

The SHPT has worked with other homeless agencies in compiling a list of entrenched rough sleepers (30 people) with extensive rough sleeping histories. Work has been focused on completing assessments of these individuals' aims and needs and working with the appropriate agencies on resettlement plans. A similar approach is planned for clients who are difficult to move on from the direct access hostels. SHPT support worker's each have a caseload of clients, the role is flexible enough to be defined by the individuals need. Common examples include: co-ordinating or joint resettlement work, lifeskills assessment and training, prompting with motivation, budgeting, benefits advocacy, access to basic provisions, referrals to hostels, advocacy for detoxification. Support workers also conduct weekly outreach sessions to rough sleepers on the streets, this includes an early outreach from
7.00 am and an early evening outreach shift until 8.00 pm.

The befriending/volunteer scheme aims to offer volunteering work for people to work with homeless clients, as well as providing opportunities for homeless people to do volunteering work. The SHPT also co-ordinates homeless agencies in completing bi-annual night counts of the numbers of people sleeping rough.

Access/Referral Criteria:

The address given (Voluntary Action Centre) is a team admin base only. Whilst the SHP Team does take direct referrals from clients, clients are not to be sent to the Voluntary Action Centre. The criteria for acceptance is 'Any person who is homeless'.

Allocation of support worker time is prioritized against those on the entrenched list. SHP work is often task orientated and aimed at improving a person's standard of accommodation. The SHPT will sometimes review their involvement with resettlement after a 6 week period. Access to the Befriending Scheme/Volunteer Co-ordinator is currently via the SHPT caseloads.

Access to Accommodation:

In addition to accessing the direct access hostels; The SHPT is also one of the referral agencies for 'M.O.R.S. accommodation' independent flats as well as Two Saints independent flats.

Accountancy
Human Resources
C R B
Change Up
LAA
Alliance
CompactRepresentationNetworks
Directory
Venue Directory
Newsletters
Resources
Publications
Policies
Training
Job Vacancies

Services
Family Projects
Morph
Safe In Sound
Shopmobility
Street Homeless
Young Carers

Contact Us
The VAC
Links
 

Southampton Voluntary Services is a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3515397.
Registered Charity No. 1068350
Site designed by: Southampton Voluntary Services.
Copyright © 2006 Southampton Voluntary Services All Rights Reserved.

Page Last Updated: 13 June 2008