Housing First

What is Housing First?

Housing First is a simple but radically different approach to tackling long term homelessness with complex cases and forms and a key element of GCHSCP's Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. It enables people who are affected by long term life trauma's who are affected by addiction, mental health and other issues and who are homeless, to be rapidly rehoused in independent tenancies in the community, with no requirement to go through the traditional housing programme. A bespoke, outreach support package is available to help those in the programme and includes:

• helping the person adjust and settle into their home and their community
• assisting and enabling day to day tasks
• help with money management
• help with appointments and linking with the recovery network and other community activities. 

This support helps ensure the person is in a better position to:

• sustain a permanent tenancy
• access community support, health care and social benefits

The person is not required to be abstinent - instead, the Housing First programme focuses on a harm reduction approach.

Following the city Pathfinder programme, from 1 April 2022 the Housing First Service is an integral GCHSCP Service with a dedicated team who manage referrals, undertake assessment and work with Housing Associations across the city who provide tenancies. The team also provides the necessary links to care and treatment services for the person referred.

The Housing First Consortium Glasgow (a joint partnership between Turning Point Scotland, Simon Community Scotland, Salvation Army and Wheatley Care) and Salvation Army Housing First services provide assertive outreach, one to one support for the people referred and moving into tenancy and is provided for as long as the person requires it.