This briefing explores how services can house and support people who experience homelessness as part of a couple, with an appendix on welfare benefits and joint claims.
Supporting Couples
Homelessness services have historically been reluctant to offer housing and support to couples. As a result, people may be faced with a choice between their housing and their partner, and this often extends the time they are homeless on the streets.
This guidance includes practice from two hostel providers, Look Ahead and Riverside, who take a positive approach to housing couples. Services can use these documents to review how they support joint households, so that the sector as a whole starts to offer a more personalised response to ending homelessness.
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Tasmin Maitland
Head of innovation and good practice
Tasmin leads our Innovation and Good Practice team, with projects including Housing First England, London PLUS, Day Centres Project, Reboot, Counts & Estimates, and our effective practice guidance and toolkits.
Telephone:
020 7840 4451
Email:
tasmin.maitland@homelesslink.org.uk
Twitter:
@Tasmin_IGP
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