Supporting People Plan - Supporting People Who Experience Homelessness Or Are Potentially Homeless

Table 12: Estimated Nos. of People with Housing Support Needs

Source: NLC /East Lothian Council/Pathways Research, 2001

• Each year around 2,000 households present as homeless. Of these over 1,100 are assessed as 'vulnerable' and require some form of accommodation, support, information and advice.
• There are an estimated 332 households who experience homelessness requiring very high level support services in North Lanarkshire.
• There is a limited choice in type of services available.
• Recent changes in homelessness legislation will mean that the number of households requiring accommodation and housing support is expected to substantially increase.

• North Lanarkshire Council is the main provider of housing support services. Only one service is purchased from the voluntary sector.

Table 13: Nos. of Housing Support Places

• There are 286 places linked with accommodation focussed mainly in the Airdrie, Motherwell, Coatbridge and Wishaw areas. Of these 208 are linked to supported accommodation. 78 places are available in dispersed units across North Lanarkshire.
• In Airdrie and Motherwell there is a total of 19 'direct access' places linked to alleviating rough sleeping. There are 3 places for young families with children in Viewpark.
• There are 120 floating support services complementing resettlement and employment training activities.

• Need for additional dispersed support linked with accommodation in areas presently without this type of service.
• Services specifically tailored to the needs of those high levels of needs (e.g. young people/people with addiction problems/ vulnerable parents and their children).
• A broad range of floating support services providing greater choice.

• Better identify the needs of homeless people requiring housing support.
• Develop 4 places linked to accommodation for young homeless people with complex needs in Muirhead.
• Develop 4 places linked to accommodation for homeless people with addiction problems in Motherwell.
• Establish 4 places linked to accommodation for vulnerable parents and their children.
• Reconfigure existing services in supported accommodation units.
• Undertake regular customer satisfaction surveys.
• Develop joint inter-departmental and inter-agency protocols to improve working arrangements including referral, and case management procedures.
• Establish joint cross agency training programmes.
• Develop reception centres to provide 'out of hours' access.

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