New Integrated Housing Support Service
We’re delighted to announce that on July 1st we will be opening a new Integrated Housing Support Service in Carmarthenshire, in partnership with Caer Las.
Supporting people over 25 who have offended or are at risk of offending, our service will provide different levels of support and accommodation options.
There will be four beds at Furnace Banc in Carmarthen with on-site staff members providing 24-hour support, 7 days a week. Meanwhile, there will be another four beds intended as temporary move-on accommodation.
Working in collaboration with Probation, CHMT, CDAT and DDAS, we will ensure that we are working in a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) approach, which will mean that the individual has a service that is specific to them and builds on their strengths.
All referrals for the new service will be through a newly formed Joint Allocations Panel, with Housing First Providers Hafan Cymru and Nacro. This will be managed by Housing Options and attended by the partners above to allow for an informed, collaborative approach.
Collaboration really is key in the success of this new service.
Simon Jones, Pobl Area Manager for Carmarthenshire, says, “We’re all going to be working together to achieve a common goal.
“We want to help offenders and those at risk of offending to break the cycle. Together, we will be working to promote independent living, whilst working closely with substance misuse and mental health teams.”
In order for this to get underway, Pobl team members have had to adapt to new ways of working. Simon comments, “At Furnace Banc, we are going to be providing a 24/7 service, which means that staff have changed their shift patterns to accommodate the new provision. They will undertake wakeful night shifts in order to provide the very best level of support to those who need it, which will include the provision of an out of hours on-call service for those clients in the community shared housing, who may need reassurance or support outside office hours”.
A steering Group is set to take place in mid-July to take the service forward, by working in partnership with all agencies involved, ensuring that the service meets current and future strategic and operational needs. The Pobl team is excited about taking on the service and truly making a difference to clients in the area.
