Great Places recently welcomed representatives from St Helens Council to Bluebell Court with the purpose of showcasing the vital role supported housing plays in helping women facing homelessness and complex challenges to live independently.
Councillor Sharon Roughley, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Tanya Wilcock, Director of Communities, and Jo-Anne Wells, Supported Housing Programme Manager, visited the scheme to meet colleagues and learn more about the support provided to customers.
Bluebell Court is a specialist supported housing service for women aged 18 to 65 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The scheme provides 20 self-contained flats and round-the-clock support for women with a range of complex needs, including mental health challenges, experiences of domestic abuse, substance misuse and social exclusion.
During the visit, Great Places colleagues shared how tailored support helps customers improve their wellbeing, develop life skills, build confidence and move towards independent living. Visitors also toured the scheme and heard about the range of wellbeing activities and specialist services available to customers.
The visit also highlighted some of the challenges facing supported housing providers, particularly the shortage of affordable move-on accommodation. While many customers are ready to take the next step into independent housing, limited availability can result in longer stays in supported accommodation and increased pressure across homelessness services.
Through its Independence and Wellbeing services, Great Places supports more than 3,000 customers across the North of England, helping people live healthier, safer and more independent lives. The visit provided an opportunity to strengthen partnership working and demonstrate the positive impact supported housing has on individuals, communities and public services.
Andrew Gray, Director of Independence & Wellbeing at Great Places, said:
“We are very pleased that senior colleagues from St. Helens Borough Council were able to visit Bluebell Court and showed such insight and interest in the service and the outcomes for customers. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the essential role that supported housing and support services play for homeless and vulnerable people, and the positive impact supported housing has for those individuals and the wider community.”
Kelly-Marie Jackson, Head of Support Services at Great Places, said:
“The visit reinforced how much can be achieved when we work collaboratively as a partnership, not only in supporting individuals to build confidence, resilience and independence, but also in recognising the wider positive impact this has on communities and public services.
It also gave us an important opportunity to reflect together on how we can continue to evolve supported accommodation services, to meet changing needs and future demand. Special thanks must go to our customers and colleagues at Bluebell Court, who kindly shared their knowledge, experiences, and insight.”
