The Somerset Councils and Partner agencies acknowledge the importance of early intervention to prevent youth homelessness, wherever possible, but also recognise that suitable accommodation, support and advice must be in place when homelessness cannot be avoided. This strategy identifies four key objectives designed to provide effective and good quality housing, support and advice for the young people of Somerset.
Action Plan
The priorities and action plan for this strategy have been taken from the agreed vision and objectives created by the members of the Housing Related Support Advisory Group Young Person Thematic Group and endorsed by the Somerset Youth Housing Forum and through consultation with the Young People themselves.
The agreed Vision and Objectives are as follows:
Vision
To ensure that no young person form Somerset ever needs to be homeless, or in unsuitable accommodation; and to encourage opportunities to develop positive relationships and provide safe environments in which young people are able to grow in confidence, strength, self esteem and skills.
Objectives
The full document is available for download below:
Pathways to Independence (P2i) was established in May 2013, following a comprehensive commissioning process which aimed to implement the requirements of the Somerset Youth Housing Strategy 2012 – 2015. P2i is a multi-agency housing-related support services for young people aged 16-24 who reside in, or have a local connection with the Somerset area.
P2i works with Somerset County Council, 5 District Councils and 4 major Housing Providers in Somerset:-
The service is designed to prevent homelessness by providing targeted prevention measures. If prevention is not possible, the service will allow young people with housing-related support needs to obtain help until they are able to sustain independent living without the need for support.
P2i aims to provide a service for all vulnerable young people in this age group who have a relevant need without discrimination. There are however some young people who are either unsuitable for P2i, or who are not eligible as they do not reside in, or have a local connection to Somerset. In these circumstances P2i will aim to work in a multi-agency way to find the best immediate solution and plan for the further needs of that young person.
Individuals are supported through allocation to one or more P2i services according to need. These categories are:-
In 2015, the P2i Board appointed a group of multi-agency stakeholders from the following agencies and service areas to work on the development of a new service specification (see the Tender Portal). To inform this work, a P2i Needs Analysis has been compiled. This report explores the needs of this group of young people, includes a number of stakeholder group recommendations and forms some conclusions of how the service needs to change to meet the identified needs.
The Needs Analysis can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:-
The document contains a wealth of facts and figures relating to needs and P2i service users but some highlights are set out below.
Key Facts
For more Information:
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