TURNING POINT SCOTLAND
Housing First – Glasgow
3 year pilot – supporting 22 service users with
active addiction
Background of Project:
 TPS interested in the Housing First model as a new way
of tackling homelessness in Scotland.
 Initial backing from Community Casework Teams,
Glasgow Housing Association, Queens Cross Housing
Association and Strathclyde Police
 Project start: February 2011
Essential Elements of the approach:
Aim: To reduce re-occurring homelessness by supporting
individuals who are in active addiction
Underlying principles:
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24/7 support from multidisciplinary team
Independent accommodation in scattered site housing
No requirement for housing readiness
Harm reduction approach
Provision of permanent housing and holistic support
Respect for service user choice re: apartment, levels of
engagement, location and times of support
 Targets most vulnerable – those that have difficulty coping with
traditional services, resistant to service engagement
Accommodation Provided:
Tenancies provided – self contained/ scattered social
housing provided by Registered Social Landlords
Tenants have full tenancy rights with rent contract and
unlimited lease
Full cooperation with landlords – Glasgow Housing
Association. N. G. Homes. Queens Cross H. A. South
Side H.A. Thenue H.A. New Gorbals H.A.
Evaluation
• Heriot-Watt University (Johnsen & Fitzpatrick)
• 3 year longitudinal study
• Methods:
• Staff/stakeholder interviews (x2)
• Service user interviews (x2)
• Case file analysis (x2)
• Interim Report – now available on
www.turningpointscotland.com
• Final Report autumn 2013
Links to European Housing First sites:
 Housing First Europe – this links us to Copenhagen,
Lisbon, Budapest and Amsterdam with secondary sites
being Gothenburg, Helsinki, Vienna, Ghent and Dublin.
 Housing First in Europe (Grundtvig) – This links us to
Paris, Marseille, Barcelona, Vienna and Helsinki.
 Links with FEANTSA and FNARS
Housing First – Glasgow
Housing Association
Perspective
Paul Tonner
18th September 2012
Why Did We Get Involved?
 A real partnership between Turning Point Scotland as support and care
provider and the RSLs as housing providers
 GHA’s Homelessness Strategy - places significant emphasis on
preventing homelessness and sourcing appropriate support from a range
of partners in helping our customers sustain their tenancies
 At the time, the project also fulfilled one of the outcomes of Glasgow’s
Homelessness Strategy, namely:
‘Improve outcomes for homeless households with addiction and/or
criminal justice issues, including accommodation’.
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
Why Did We Get Involved?
 A real partnership between Turning Point Scotland as support and care
provider and the RSLs as housing providers
 GHA’s Homelessness Strategy - places significant emphasis on
preventing homelessness and sourcing appropriate support from a range
of partners in helping our customers sustain their tenancies
 At the time, the project also fulfilled one of the outcomes of Glasgow’s
Homelessness Strategy, namely:
‘Improve outcomes for homeless households with addiction and/or
criminal justice issues, including accommodation’.
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
Our Approach
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Involved in shaping the project to fit the
Glasgow context.
Use this approach to focus on tenants
potentially at risk - personalised approach
Stronger links with support partners &
know where to go if things go wrong
Partnership is key
Exciting project and one which could
shape how we deliver services in future to
this client group
Opportunities
Innovation
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Risks around working with people actively
involved in drug misuse balanced with
needs of existing tenants
· Housing supply reduced pressures on
system
· SST versus short SST
· Housing readiness -including practical
things e.g. Furniture options
· Personalisation agenda
· Austerity measures and impact on direct
services – duplicate projects already
working in City?
Risks
People
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Cultural change for staff & customers
about how services are delivered
How we bring more partners on board –
small sample size
Housing First and Housing Options extending to other tenures & different
solutions
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
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10
Understanding our customers and how
we reach them – communication activity
Training for staff to be more effective collaboration with local RSLs & partners
Development of Glasgow model bring
new partners on board - confidence
RSLS to use existing policies & services
to help customers – section 5 referrals
We got leadership buy-in - Governance
Delivery
 First referral received November 2010
 All cases for the pilot housed by May 2011
 Cases housed in an average of 3 weeks from receipt of
section 5 referral
 As a result of SST, cases ‘moved’ to another RSL in May
2011
 Agreed to ‘replace’ SST cases in the South of the city
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
Case Study – Issues and Interventions
Loud music
Warnings issued
Causing damage
to flat
Joint visit
Abusive to staff
Referral to
Community
Improvement
Partnership
Police Visits
Concierge
assistance
Fighting in communal
areas
Graffiti
Child Protection
meeting
Think Yes!
Noisy Parties
Disturbing
Neighbours
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
Fire & Rescue
meeting
Housing summary
7 properties let
6 in North West Glasgow
2 left via Second Stage Transfer
1 tenancy terminated
1 new tenancy established in the South of the city
1 further offer currently being pursued in the South
4 current tenancies
Housing Options – The right idea, at the right time
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Housing First Partnership
Lynne Cooper
ng homes
18th September 2012
ng homes
• Established 1976
• 5500 homes in Springburn, Balornock, Possilpark &
Parkhouse
• 7% turnover – average 360 new tenancies per year
• Excellent track record
• Partnership working contributed to our success over the
last 37 years
• RSL in multiple deprivation
• Rehouse people who misuse alcohol, drugs, people with
mental health issues and chaotic lifestyles
Tenancy Sustainment
• Tenancy Sustainment Team set up in 2010
• Objective to support vulnerable tenants and help them
maintain their tenancies
Success since 2010
• Abandonments and evictions have decreased
• New tenants are keeping their tenancies for more than 12
months – 93% sustainment for tenancies started 2011/12
• Team have established partnerships with a number of
agencies to help support tenants: Keys to Learn
Housing First Partnership
• Partnership Established in 2012
• Key elements of Housing First fits exactly with ng homes
Tenancy Sustainment goals
• 24/7 support available to vulnerable tenants when having
difficulty coping with their tenancy
• Win/Win for ng homes
• Early days
• Continue to develop our partnership with Housing First
further
Service User Achievements and Challenges to
date:
Achievements:
Supporting individuals who have
never engaged with any service
 Number of individuals engaged
with community addiction services
– 21
Number of individuals engaging
with Housing First who had a
history of non engagement with
other services – 8
Number of individuals in tenancy
for over a year - 11
Challenges:
 Engagement of housing
providers
 Furniture
 Welfare reform
 Individuals adjusting to daily
structure whilst in active
addiction.
Future Plans?
 Incremental increase in number of service users in all
areas of Glasgow
 Partnership working with further housing providers
 Housing Plus
 Housing First – mental health, families, prison leavers
(Persistent Offenders Project)
 Geographical spread in several areas of Scotland
currently in discussion with Renfrewshire, North/ South
Lanarkshire, Inverclyde
For more information:
Contact:
Ian Irvine (Operations Manager)
T: 0141 427 8200
E: ianirvine@turningpointscotland.com
W: www.turningpointscotland.com
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