Partnership bags Homeless Link commendation

The Greater Manchester Housing First Partnership is delighted to have been awarded Highly Commended in the Homeless Link Excellence award for ‘demonstrating impact’ – an accolade that recognises organisations that can demonstrate their effectiveness in supporting people facing homelessness and to learn from what works.

The judges were interested in how we measure the difference our service is making; the methodologies and tools used and how the evidence is being used to shape the support we provide to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The award recognises an evidence–driven approach that enables our service to do better by tailoring services to better meet the needs of the people we support; allocate resources more effectively and to help advocate for policy change based on proven outcomes.

Programme Lead Emily Cole said: "We are really pleased to have been acknowledged by Homeless Link with this award and especially in the Demonstrating Impact category. As a programme, we strive to continually learn from delivery and evolve the service we provide to ensure the best possible outcomes and support for the people we are working with.

"We prioritise capturing and analysing data and feedback from a range of sources to truly understand how our service is being delivered and reflect on this to make any changes to further enhance the support we are providing.

"It’s fantastic that our programme has been externally acknowledged as having an impact and demonstrating effectiveness in supporting people that have and are facing homelessness. We also continually share what we are learning in order to lobby for change that will further support and impact more people into the future.

"Considering we are one of three areas in the country that have implemented the Housing First model at scale, it's great that as we enter our sixth year of delivery the impact of what we have collectively achieved has been recognised – and we won't stop here as we continue to constantly learn and evolve."

The partnership has rehoused 408 people with 118 people now having lived in their homes for over three years - making a real sustained impact across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.