Our Story
Since its inception in 2019, the partnership has adapted and grown to ensure the people across all 10 boroughs had the support they needed. Read below to see how we have got to where we are today
The Greater Manchester Housing First programme started as an initial three-year pilot which ran from April 2019 to March 2022 and was commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) with funding from Ministry of Homes, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and later the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC).
Housing First uses an evidence-based approach, which uses housing as a platform to enable individuals with multiple and complex needs to begin recovery and move away from homelessness. The initial pilot across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, was an incredible success and we rehoused 330 people during those first three years, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lock downs.
In our Second Year of operational delivery, the partnership conducted a competitive tender process to recruited additional Delivery Partners. The exercise was in response to specific unmet of needs individuals identified during the first year of operation, these unmet needs include those of: Young People, Vulnerable Women and those with significant involvement with the Justice system and those with complex behavioural challenges.
Following a new competitive tender the Partnership won a further extension to the programme to take us through to the end of March 2025 with an additional two years of ring fenced Housing First funding and a further 12 months to be funded from the Rough Sleeper Initiative (RSI).
​
The Partnership is currently gearing up for the publication of a new tender framework in November 2024 for the delivery of both the Housing First and the Rough Sleeper Accommodation programmes from April 25 onwards.
With the changes to the devolution deal for Greater Manchester and the focus from the new government on Homelessness we are determined as a partnership to continue our work in reducing homelessness and supporting people who experiencing multiple disadvantage.
We are also committed to being a catalyst for changes in approach to working with excluded cohorts and assuring that everyone gets the opportunity for a safe home.