The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its Expression of Interest Prospectus for the Rapid Rehousing Pathways it is funding as part of the Rough Sleeping Strategy (deadline 31 October 2018).
Applications are invited from Local Authorities that wish to apply for funding around one or more of four elements:
- Somewhere safe to stay pilots
- Local lettings agencies
- Supported lettings
- Navigators
“Navigation” or “coordination” is a vital part of helping individuals with the most complex needs move away from rough sleeping, and it is an approach that is distinct from outreach or other forms of engagement.
The MEAM coalition is delighted therefore to see navigators included within the pathway and that learning from MEAM Approach and Big Lottery Fund Fulfilling Lives areas has been included within the specification. In particular we are pleased to see that the new navigators will have cross-sector support and a clear mandate to offer personalised approaches based on the needs of individuals, not the needs of services.
The Prospectus states that:
“We expect delivery areas to demonstrate that their navigator will have the support of key local stakeholders and be embedded in a multidisciplinary team who will support and help to co-ordinate their tailored and targeted work.”
And:
“Navigators should be able to offer personalised, creative, innovative and effective support and be a single point of contact, building trust with clients, working in an inclusive way and empowering clients to achieve.
What learning is there to support applications?
A range of resources are available for areas considering an application.
The Big Lottery Fund Fulfilling Lives areas and MEAM Approach areas recently developed a short briefing outlining learning from 33 areas working on navigation, which would be a useful document for areas considering an application under this element. The updated MEAM Approach wheel also provides information on creating good navigation/coordination and flexibility.
All formal enquiries should be directed to the MHCLG team at roughsleepingstrategyEOI@communities.gsi.gov.uk. The MEAM team would be happy to have an informal discussion with any local area considering a navigator element application to share learning.
Who is eligible?
The prospectus is clear that funding under any of the four elements cannot support work that would be happening anyway. This suggests that the navigator funding element is unlikely to be suitable for MEAM Approach or Fulfilling Lives areas with navigators already in place (though the other three elements may be relevant).
We are aware however of a wide range of local areas that are interested in implementing learning from MEAM Approach and Fulfilling Lives areas, and this funding opportunity may be of significant interest to them. Current MEAM Approach and Fulfilling Lives areas will be keen to support these developments as part of their learning and system change commitments.