Our collaborative efforts are aimed at delivering more coherent support to individuals impacted by destitution, addressing their mental health needs alongside emergency housing issues.
Our organisation has recognized the pressing issue of safeguarding concerns linked to poor mental health, especially among asylum seekers and refugees facing destitution. To tackle this challenge effectively, we have been actively seeking stronger partnerships with both voluntary and statutory mental health providers. Our collaborative efforts are aimed at delivering more coherent support to individuals impacted by destitution, addressing their mental health needs alongside emergency housing issues.
Our commitment to addressing mental health and homelessness together has led to a closer collaboration with the local counselling project, Waterloo Counselling Project. They have been grappling with homelessness issues among individuals receiving therapy. Our organisation identified a need for referral pathways for individuals with mental health problems to access counselling or other mental health support, while WCP was struggling with advocacy and support strategies for those at risk of homelessness.
We are actively working alongside WCP to secure funding for joint projects that will address both mental health and homelessness in a coordinated manner. This collaboration will leverage the strengths of both organisations to enhance mental health and well-being within the context of homelessness throughout the coming year. Furthermore, WCP will provide training and staff supervision to our team to improve our abilities in assisting highly vulnerable clients.
Our homelessness advice work is an integral part of the Early Action program. This collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without this service, which has continually improved our skills and experience in dealing with homeless cases, effectively reducing crises for asylum seekers and refugees facing homelessness.
One of the main challenges we faced was the limited availability of staff from both agencies, as they worked part-time. This created difficulties in identifying suitable funders and writing proposals. However, despite these challenges, the overall process has been positive. We have agreed that the partner agency would refer urgent homelessness cases to our service until funding is secured, as anyone has the right to refer to our service.
Our recommendation for organisations aiming to address complex issues is to identify existing strengths and weaknesses, utilising the skills and knowledge at hand to build effective solutions that reduce crises. This approach prioritises maximising existing resources rather than developing entirely new services, ensuring a more efficient and impactful outcome.
