Floating support
Floating Support means that we support people who live in accommodation provided by another housing association, local authority or other organisation.
Support tackles issues from rent arrears, benefits and neighbour disputes to activities that reduce social isolation – enabling people with mental ill-health or other problems to sustain their tenancies and access the services they need.
Experienced members of staff visit clients at least once a week for one or two hours. But support hours can be altered to provide a higher and more appropriate number of visits, as needed.
As the client becomes more empowered, support is reduced and then ‘floated away’ to another client. However, contact between the client and project worker continues, and can be fully reinstated if the client feels that they need more help again.
Examples:
Our floating support scheme in Sedgemoor, Somerset, is putting the aims of the government’s National Service Framework for Mental Health into action. 17 people with a variety of mental health needs are supported in their own homes by Carr-Gomm, working with Somerset Partnership, a mental health trust, and other agencies.
Carr-Gomm’s floating support team in Leeds has expanded to work with vulnerable families and single fathers as well as single mothers. They now support 82 families across Leeds. The project provides individually-tailored support to service users, including practical help with parenting, furnishing new homes, support in dealing with courts and advice on training.
