Survive and Thrive is our coordinated tenancy sustainment and floating support service for those who do not have a support offer, or where the current offer does not fit their needs, or where they and their support provider could be helped by our partnership network.
Trusted relationships are key to this service, both with those being supported, which takes time to build, and those providers with whom we work.
Survive and Thrive is a very flexible service but most of its activities fall within one of the following elements:
Tenancy sustainment and resettlement support – help with settling in, housing benefit claims, bills, finding move-on accommodation, supporting the landlord, signposting to services, coordinating and facilitating access to professional and voluntary agencies for substance misuse, mental health, money management, etc. Help is available whether or not the accommodation includes a support package.
Meals, food-parcels and practical help – volunteers from St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church deliver this on our behalf and are in turn supported by a wide network of food providers.
Rapid moving-in service – working with volunteers to provide a one-stop shop for sourcing furnishings, linen, household items, decorating, etc., from organisations such as Emmaus, The Besom, Cambridge Re-Use.
Management services – we can provide management support for frontline rough sleeper/homelessness projects that other agencies plan to undertake. We can offer either informal advice around the start-up or operation of such a project, or a formalised management service that can be delivered both on or off-site to oversee the safe and effective delivery of the project.
Partnership development – we assist new or existing agencies connect with partners to enable a better solution to meet frontline needs, whether in general or for a specific individual or individuals.
Pastoral care and welfare – we work with the Ely Diocese Bishop’s Officer for Homelessness, a role hosted by the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project (CCHP) and funded by various church agencies. The Bishop’s Officer provides chaplaincy and pastoral support to rough sleepers and other homeless of all faiths and none, with a particular care for the most vulnerable.
Supported modular housing – support, when occupied, for tenants of the It Takes a City Community Land Trust, starting with a four-home scheme on Hills Avenue which has recently received planning permission.
For more information about this service, please contact itacinfo@ittakesacity.org.uk