The people we support will be at risk of eviction / homelessness or experiencing difficulties that are impacting on their tenancy or the local community. The project supports both families and vulnerable individuals, seeking to address the root causes of their presenting issues to enable a more positive and sustainable future, whilst reducing or eliminating the risk of homelessness.
Service users are supported to take an active role in the planning and delivery of the service, with the aim of enabling them to sustain positive change and manage future issues in a productive way.
The service initially meets with the service user on a one-to-one basis to understand the impact of their experience and to identify further support needs. We use “Outcome Star” as a framework to identify needs, areas of improvement and to measure distance travelled, which we review at six-to-eight weekly intervals throughout the programme.
We accept referrals from Housing Officers, Accommodation Officers, and Anti-Social Behaviour Officers at Colchester Borough Homes.
We often get referrals from Social Services which we then redirect to Colchester Borough Homes so that they can make the referral themselves (providing the service users is a Council Tenant). There are two strands to our service:
Impact and challenges
Impact
Whilst not always straightforward, the outcomes from support received by the CHIP team can be life-changing. We have helped service users reduce their debt, maximise their benefits, and assist with finding permanent tenancies.
The volume of engaging service users for whom homelessness has been prevented through intervention is 12.
- 100% of respondents said that they felt more confident in their ability to make positive choices in their lives as a result of their support from Catch22.
- 100% of those who felt it relevant to them felt more able to enjoy life after their case closed.
- 100% of those who felt it relevant to them, felt safer when their case closed.
- 80% of those who felt it relevant to them, felt their mental health had improved and felt less stressed when their case closed.
- 100% of those who felt it relevant said they would recommend Catch22 to others.
“The CHIP service gave me hope and motivation for the future”.
– Service user
Challenges
In the last year, it has become increasingly evident that there are fewer and fewer resources available to local authorities, especially for lower-level support that can empower people to access what they need and prevent crises from occurring.
This is particularly true in the area of mental health. Just over 30% of our service users have declared mental health as a disability (26 in total), and we are aware that the prevalence of mental health concerns could be higher than this amongst our service.
The growing impact of mental health issues is glaring, as is the stress on the services they need to access. While we can help to connect people to the appropriate services, we are not able to replace mental health professionals. But we can do our best to make sure we support our service users in other ways.
We have continued to encourage and promote physical activity and have monitored this over the past year. 87% of service users are accessing green spaces 1-2 times a week or more, and 63% of service users are taking part in at least 30 minutes of physical activity 1-2 times a week or more.
Distance travelled
The Distance Travelled report allows you to see the change that has taken place between two ‘Outcome Stars’ completed at different points in time.
It shows in which outcome areas progress is being made, and how much progress is being made. This is based on the records for 17 service users that CHIP has worked with since 1 April 2023.
The Distance Travelled report is useful for demonstrating the impact of a service to internal and external stakeholders, as it shows where progress is being made, and how much progress is made on average.
This report helps services identify best practice to be replicated in other aspects of the service or highlight areas where a new approach (such as new training for practitioners, or new interventions) could be helpful.
The average number of outcome areas in which someone is making service through the Colchester Housing Intervention Project is 7.1.
Working together
Working in partnership
Our longstanding and excellent partnership working with Colchester Borough Homes allows us to easily and quickly share information, expertise, training and resources, both as professionals, and with regard to tailoring interventions with service users. This work can also include skip hire, garden clearances and any work that is needed inside the property such as adaptations.
“The support that Chip Solutions gives to our clients is invaluable and really does make a difference to their lives. Especially the patience that you sometimes have to put in when people do not initially engage. This supports not only the clients but all so the Accommodation Officers which in turn frees them up to get on with their jobs.”
– Accommodation Officer
We have also worked closely with:
- Colchester Anti-Loo Roll Brigade who have supported us to facilitate moves into permanent tenancies and to smaller homes for those with permanent tenancies.
- The Boaz Project who have supported us with their Community Fridge for service users, and also with Fuel Poverty support for our service users.
- The Essential Living Fund who have supplied bedroom furniture, general furniture, white goods and kitchen appliances for our service users.
We also work very closely with several local charities and organisations such as social care, mental health teams, children’s services, vulnerable adults’ services, food banks, GPs, landlords, estate agents, and furniture and clothing charities.
“The CHIP staff have always been very approachable and on hand to offer advice. Their communication and on-going feedback through the support life of a tenant is always timely and incredibly helpful. They are a very good team to work with.”
– Community Housing Officer
Future plans
Improved wellbeing
We aim to continue to promote the service with Colchester Borough Homes housing teams, local housing associations and providers, and any relevant local agencies. Identifying and applying for suitable funding to support the increasing needs of our service users will also be the focus for the service going forward.
We are planning to develop our gardening project. We decided to invest in some garden maintenance equipment with some of the extra funding received from Colchester Borough Homes this year, as we noticed an increasing number of families referred with extremely overgrown, unmaintained gardens and outdoor spaces, left due to not being able to afford to prioritise. Outdoor spaces also were full of unwanted household items, toys, and furniture. Skips have been provided for those most in need.
We are continuing to encourage individuals and families to get involved in their gardens and regularly spend time outdoors. We would like to secure further funding to complete more clearances and be able to purchase more gardening equipment for the service, such as tools, outdoor and garden items, BBQs, seating and eating areas, and picnic hampers for our service users and families. We would also like to promote an internal service user tool lending scheme.
“I have felt very supported and felt that I can open up to the support offered. I have wanted to engage. I have been introduced to lots of community involvement and supporting/family and parental services.”
– Service user
Service user inclusion
We would like to refocus on the offer of holistic service user group sessions including activities, away days, projects to develop daily living skills, schemes to boost individuals’ and families’ confidence and wellbeing, and personal safety sessions and activities for children.
Cost of living crisis
We aim to continue to offer cost-of-living financial support and assistance to those most in need.
We received additional welfare funding from Colchester Borough Homes to support families throughout the year, enabling us to provide some assistance with food shops, household items, and move on expenditures.
“Catch 22 has helped me through one of the most difficult and stressful times of my life. I feel safe knowing I can turn to my worker, and she will either help me directly or make sure I get the right support from somewhere else. I feel better able to cope day-to-day.”
– Service user
