- New scheme to help adults across England facing multiple
disadvantages like homelessness and mental health issues
- Local partnerships will provide joined-up support for better
outcomes
- Lessons learned from ‘Changing Futures’ scheme will inform
national policy
A £46 million scheme to provide more effective and coordinated
support for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities
was launched today (10 December 2020) by Minister for Rough
Sleeping and Housing .
The government is inviting local organisations to form
partnerships and bid for a share of the funding to better support
those who experience multiple disadvantages including
homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic
abuse, and contact with the criminal justice system.
These people are among the most vulnerable in our communities,
facing entrenched disadvantage and trauma. They often experience
difficulties in getting the coordinated support from local
services that they need.
This can lead to increased reoffending, greater risk of rough
sleeping and ill-health and can result in a higher demand and
costs for local response services and the criminal justice
system.
The ‘Changing Futures’ programme aims to establish new,
innovative and co-ordinated ways to better support vulnerable
adults. The prospectus, published today, invites expressions of
interest from organisations such as councils, health bodies,
police, probation services, voluntary and community sector
organisations to form local partnerships.
Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said:
This £46 million funding will help some of the most vulnerable
people in our communities turn their lives around and build a
brighter future.
The ‘Changing Futures’ programme gives local organisations the
flexibility and resources they need to work in partnership to
deliver effective support where it is needed most. I look
forward to receiving really innovative bids for projects that
will make a real difference to so many people’s lives
The Programme, announced at the Budget, aims to deliver
improvements at the individual, service and system level:
- for individuals, to stabilise and then improve the life
situation of adults who face multiple disadvantage
- for services, to better integrate local services to provide a
person-centred approach and to reduce demand on reactive services
- for the local system, to test a different approach to
funding, accountability and engagement between local
commissioners and services, and central government and local
areas
The programme will run alongside evaluation, applying learning
from local areas to national policymaking, aiming to deliver
better outcomes with taxpayers’ money.
