How We Help
Spires works with some of the most isolated and vulnerable in society, who are facing multiple disadvantages and deprivation. Specifically, our clients are homeless or have insecure accommodation, but also face complex issues such as financial pressure and substance addiction. Many of our clients also present with physical or mental health concerns, due to a pre-existing condition or a response to current circumstances.
We’ll make sure they receive a level of support that will gradually see them build confidence, resilience & independence to overcome homelessness and social exclusion. We’ll help maintain their well-being, making sure they have improved access to housing or less risk of eviction to provide safety and stability to their lives.
What We Do
Each client will always work with a dedicated key worker who’ll support them by creating a targeted support plan addressing individual needs and housing requirements. Within our staff we have workers who specialise in tenancy sustainment, physical & mental health support and benefits advice.
Our frontline staff work with local authorities, outreach teams and our own network of private landlords to ensure clients can move into suitable housing and create pathways to reduce the marginalisation experienced by the people we support. The causes of homelessness are complex, we know that without the right support the chances of a person keeping their accommodation are reduced.
Our teams work alongside our network of specialist partner agencies which includes the below teams who offer services from our centre.
• The Lambeth Health Inclusion Team who run a weekly drop in with a community nurse
• The START Team who provide mental health support to homeless people
• Southwark Law Centre who provide immigration & other legal advice
• The DWP who support clients to access the correct benefits
Clients Journey
Every individual’s support journey is different. Typically though, there are three stages of support:
Assess: We first meet many people supported by the Housing and Homeless Team during our rough sleeper breakfasts. People are offered food, clothes and other basic necessities before being assessed by one of our key workers.
Support: Key workers identify each individual’s housing requirements before addressing underlying support needs. The team consistently support people to:
• Access mental health services and adopt wellbeing strategies
• Work with drug & alcohol services and establish healthier coping strategies
• Obtain training or qualifications
• Develop the ability to manage welfare benefits independently
• Maintain personal safety
• Establish a support network
Maintain: Spires remains a consistent safety net for our clients, who can always come back to us for further support. By having an ‘open door’ policy with little to no barriers in accessing our services, we can intervene early and prevent homelessness. Tenancy sustainment support has also become an increasingly important part of our work, especially as more people face increasing pressures in the current economic crisis.
Access Support
If you’re in need of support from Spires or are worried about someone who is or might be homeless then find out more about how to access support below.