Our philosophy acknowledges the interconnectedness of these three factors – appreciating the hierarchy of need, and emphasising the critical importance of tailoring and coordinating the services and interventions available to each individual in order to maximise their sustained impact.
There is a growing body of research that shows how many children, young people, and their families are caught in a spiral of temporary and often unfit accommodation, facing what can be a maze of poorly coordinated support services.
From a user perspective, these can be difficult to understand and engage with, especially for those who are most vulnerable or for people with language barriers, making them inaccessible or ineffective. From a provider’s perspective, 'service inputs' rather than 'customer outcomes' drive the system and a lack of capacity within statutory services means resources are swallowed up by the most urgent and extreme cases. And without coordination between jobs, home, and mental health it can become a never-ending and costly cycle of sub-optimal intervention.
We believe that specialist early help, carefully targeted and meticulously planned, prioritised and coordinated, can ensure sustained take-up while also providing the opportunity for significant savings to the public purse and the ability to maximise support for those who need it most.
After more than three years of planning, in-depth research and consultation with leading experts in the field, we are currently in the process of funding and driving the delivery of an initial small number of homes in Chester.
This progress, developed through a close partnership with Chester West and Chester Council – an example of effective public and private sector collaboration – is being complemented by working with a range of public, private, and third sector organisations to deliver a cohesive set of support services able to build lasting solutions.
Our ambition is to learn from our early activities and to develop a scalable model built through partnering and joint ventures with like-minded third parties – one that is capable of improving the life chances of many more people.
See below for our operating model and click here to see how we evaluate its impact.