Supporting People, Homelessness Prevention & Rent Smart Wales
The Housing Support Grant (HSG) (Supporting People, Homelessness Prevention & Rent Smart Wales) core purpose is to prevent homelessness and support people to have the capability, independence, skills and confidence to access and/or maintain a stable and suitable home.
Housing is a key priority area in the Welsh Government’s Prosperity for All National Strategy, which sets out the vision that “We want everyone to live in a home that meets their needs and supports a healthy, successful and prosperous life”.
Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC) HSG supports the aim of working together to prevent homelessness and where it cannot be prevented, ensuring it is rare, brief and un-repeated. To do this we need to tackle the root cause of homelessness and work to enable people to stay in their own homes longer.
Housing-related support seeks to enable vulnerable people to maintain and increase their independence and capacity to remain in their own home.
Monmouthshire County Council’s HSG aims to deliver housing-related support services, which support Welsh Government’s vision to secure “A Wales where nobody is homeless and everyone has a safe home where they can flourish and live a fulfilled, active and independent life”.
Our Purpose
Monmouthshire County Council’s HSG works in full alignment with the aims of MCC’s Corporate Plan; the challenges in the Well-being Plan surface issues that are incredibly important for the Council and the local area. As a key partner on the Public Services Board (PSB), MCC’s will play a significant role in taking these forward and recognises that they are the principal enablers in enabling the shifts and changes needed to develop a sustainable and resilient future.
The Council has set four Well-being Objectives that focus on the specific contribution of our organisation towards well-being in the county. These are:
| Purpose | Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities | |
|---|---|---|
| Our aspiration is to: | Reduce inequalities between communities and within communities Support and protect vulnerable people Realise the benefits that the natural environment has to offer | |
| Our Well-being Objectives are: | People/Citizens | Place/Communities |
| Provide children and young people with the best possible start in life | Protect and enhance the resilience of our natural environment whilst mitigating and adapting to the impact of climate change | |
| Respond to the challenges associated with demographic change | Develop opportunities for communities and businesses to be part of an economically thriving and well-connected county |
So, what does the Monmouthshire HSG programme do?
Monmouthshire’s HSG works to prevent homelessness and support people to have the capability, independence, skills and confidence to access and/or maintain a stable and suitable home. This is achieved through:
- Services that build the capacity and ability of individuals or households to maintain a home
- Services that prevent homelessness or the need for an individual to live in an inappropriate institutional setting
- Providing or enabling access to suitable housing for individuals or households
- Services that mitigate the impact of homelessness on individuals or households
- Brokering access to other services for people in housing need
- Raising awareness and understanding with other professionals and with the wider public, including in schools and colleges
- Action to enforce legislation intended to secure and maintain access to good quality homes. For example, legislation that places duties on landlords to be registered and regarding the management of tenancies
Eligibility
Any person in need of support to prevent them becoming at risk of homelessness, to address homelessness or achieve a more stable housing circumstance is eligible to receive housing support, as long as they are eligible to receive public funding, regardless of their tenure or lack of tenure.
- People eligible for services must be over 16
- For the purpose of the HSG local connection criteria DO NOT apply
Help cannot, however, be provided with personal care. If you require these services you should contact MCC’s Social Care for Adults team.
Monmouthshire County Council HSG Services
The types of services available vary greatly; please see the following list of examples of HSG services:
- Floating Support – a support worker visits a person in his or her own home to support them to maintain/sustain their tenancy/home. Support is provided for a period of time (dependent on an individual’s needs)
- Homelessness Hostel – provides interim/temporary accommodation for people who are homeless
- Sheltered housing schemes – sheltered housing for people who are usually over 55 years old where a scheme manager has regular contact with tenants and an alarm service provides 24-hour cover in emergencies
- 24 hour supported housing – accommodation where staff are on site 24 hours a day. Often a shared property with communal areas such as a lounge and a kitchen but it may also be self-contained properties with staff accommodation in the vicinity
- Supported housing (not 24 hours) – as above but staff are not on site 24 hours a day
- Domestic Abuse Refuge – emergency/temporary accommodation for men or women who are fleeing domestic abuse
Who provides the support for Monmouthshire County Council Housing Support Grant programme?
There are a number and variety of providers of HSG services operating in Monmouthshire, some of these are quite small providers who may be supporting 2 or 3 people, others are larger providers who may be assisting 20 or more people at any one time. Providers of services include housing associations, private organisations, third-sector organisations and the Social Services Department of MCC. Please, see the HSG Service Directory or DEWIS for further information.
For more information and advice or to request any of the forms listed below please contact the HSG team:
- Trudy Griffin – Housing Support Commissioning & Operations Manager. Mobile: 07872696489 Tel: 01633 740727 Email: TrudyGriffin@monmouthshire.gov.uk
- Michael McGrath – Commissioning & Contract Officer. Mobile: 07967 275855 Tel: 01633 644398 Email: mikemcgrath@monmouthshire.gov.uk
- Jane Kirby – Commissioning & Review Officer Housing Support Grant. Mobile: 07890 062811, Tel: 01633 745202, Email: janekirby@monmouthshire.gov.uk