Transforming lives by providing safe, secure housing for homeless people
The Greater Manchester Housing First (GMHF) partnership has helped to support more than 340 people, with multiple and complex needs who are homeless or at risk of homelessness across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, into a home of their own.
Beginning in 2019 and commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the GM project was one of three areas selected to test the Housing First model at scale – alongside the Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands.
GMHF is a housing led partnership of 12 organisations including GMHP members, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, partners in the private rented sector, and homelessness charities and support providers which uses housing as a platform to enable individuals with complex needs to begin recovery and move away from homelessness.
The GMHP partners involved have played a key role in the project’s success. Along with the partnership being led by GMHP partner Great Places, accommodation offers are the lifeblood of the project’s success, and the vast majority of people have been placed in a home provided by the GMHP partners who have volunteered to pledge properties to the programme.
After the success of the initial three-year pilot, the partnership hit the target to rehouse 300 people, achieving a tenancy sustainment rate of 81 per cent. Additional funding from Government has been secured to continue delivery, until March 2024, with the emphasis to continue to support people their recovery along with ensuring the legacy of the programme across the region.
GM Housing First in numbers
494
homeless people supported across GM
350
homeless people rehoused
78%
tenancy sustainment rate
326
homes pledged by GMHP members
GMHP members have been key to GMHF’s success, pledging their commitment to provide the hundreds of homes that are essential to the service. We've demonstrated flexibility and gone the extra mile to offer people homes that meet people’s specific needs and are in the right area for them, close to family, existing networks and support services. The pilot has gone from strength to strength and is proving not only that the model works at scale, but that the Housing First pilots should be made permanent.