| SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION
Introduction Our Supported Accommodation Scheme provides 48 places, covering the majority of the residents of Cosgarne Hall, Greenaway House and 22 Bodmin Road. Housing Related Support is provided by a dedicated team of Support Workers, led by our Support Manager, Chris Abbott, based at Cosgarne Hall. One or more members of the Support Team are on site between 8.30 a.m and 6.00 p.m., Monday to Friday and for shorter periods at weekends. When there is nobody on site, whatever the hour, a member of the team can always be contacted by telephone to deal with emergencies and will come to either property to deal with residents' problems if necessary. What we do The aim of the scheme is to provide those residents who need it with support, advice and, where appropriate, non-financial assistance, to enable them to access and retain a home, to lead independent lives while in one of our properties, to learn how to become a good tenant, and to move on to other accommodation when they wish and / or are ready to do so. This can involve help with: maintaining personal safety and well-being accesssing specialist assistance to deal with a wide variety of problems which impact on a resident's ability to lead an independent life managing finances, dealing with debts & planning budgets dealing with benefit applications and other correspondence dealing with Police, Courts, the Probation Service, Banks, Creditors, Social Services, the CSA and other agencies paying for accommodation building and maintaining relationships with neighbours and other people looking after accommodation protecting home and possessions understanding and conforming with the terms of accommodation agreements avoiding homelessness accessing alternative accommodation The following is intended to give a clear guide to what you, our client, can expect from the Support Team - and what you cannot – and what your obligations are in return: |
| We provide Accommodation-based Housing-related Support. This means:
Our staff are employed to provide you with support which: 1. Is delivered: a. in or in the immediate vicinity of your accommodation – this means at Cosgarne Hall and Greenaway House, where they will meet you to discuss and review your Support Needs; b. in our offices at Cosgarne Hall – in addition to the time they actually spend with you, my staff have to spend a lot of time dealing with the issues which you raise with them and contacting people on your behalf; c. in the offices of the agencies whom they need to meet (often, but not always, accompanying you) in order to further your interests – such as the Housing Benefit Office, for example; d. in exceptional circumstances, at locations where you need support while attending appointments which impact directly on the progress of your Support Plan. And, 2. Will encourage and assist you to: a. understand what you need to do to keep a roof over your head and live independently, both while you are living in one of our buildings and when you have left here; b. fulfil you obligations to your landlord (Cosgarne Hall Ltd.) and your neighbours, in particular: i. to pay what you owe, when it is due; ii. take care of your accommodation; iii. not cause a nuisance to others; c. gain the skills and aptitudes needed by you to do this; d. access the resources you need to do this; e. access permanent accommodation elsewhere in due course. In particular, the Support Team’s role will be to act as an advocate for you in your dealings with the DWP, the Housing Benefit Office, your Landlord (Cosgarne Hall Ltd.) and other Authorities and Agencies with whom you need to negotiate in order to keep a roof over your head and achieve independent living. Their role does NOT include: 1. Support to deal with issues that are not directly or very closely related to keeping a roof over your head and promoting independent living; 2. Support delivered other than in the locations mentioned above; 3. Provision of transport – they will help you to access transport, but they are not a taxi service, so don’t expect them to act like one; 4. Financial assistance – again, they will help you to access funds from elsewhere, but will not provide money, so don’t ask them for it; 5. Specialist counselling – they are not specialist counsellors, or providers of professional advice. They will, however, encourage and assist you to access any specialist or professional help that you need to help you to sustain a tenancy and live independently, so feel free to discuss your needs with them. 6. Providing meals, food, or clothing; cleaning, or running errands for you; providing a telephone answering / message service, receiving visitors for you (except by prior arrangment, where critical to your Support Plan), etc. - this is Supported Accommodation, not an Hotel, or a Care Home. Hours The Support Team work between 9.00 a.m. and 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday. In addition, one member of the Team is on duty at Cosgarne Hall on Saturday morning between 10.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon and a member of the team can be contacted by telephone in an emergency at any time outside these hours. Keywork Sessions You will be required to attend a formal meeting lasting approximately one hour with a designated member of the Team – your Key Worker - every week. If you are unable to make the agreed time, you must contact your Key Worker through the Support Office, in person or by telephone and re-arrange it. If you fail to attend, you will risk losing both the suport and your accommodation here (see "Engagement" below). Keywork Sessions will involve: 1. Support Plan review: a. Goals b. Progress c. Problems d. Solutions e. Accessing other Agencies 2. Financial Management: a. Welfare Benefits b. Housing Benefit c. Other sources of income d. Accessing resources e. Debts f. Prioritising use of funds g. Budgeting 3. Accommodation: a. Arrears b. Keeping accommodation in good order c. Relationship with other residents d. Landlord issues e. Move-on plans 4. Life Skills: a. Personal hygiene b. Shopping c. Cooking d. Cleaning e. Laundry Keywork sessions will be recorded by your Key Worker and a record of meetings must be signed off by you and will be kept on file. Drop-in Office In addition to scheduled meetings, there is a Drop-in Office at Cosgarne Hall and you are welcome to call in at any time during normal working hours to discuss any matters that concern you. Sometimes it is necessary to close the office, in which case a notice on the door will tell you when it will re-open. There will also usually be a member of the Team available in the office at Greenaway House for at least one hour each weekday (in addition to scheduled keywork sessions). Engagement If you wish to stay here, then you must engage constructively with the support provided to you. Although it is provided to you free of charge, Support is expensive and is paid for by Cornwall County Council under the terms of a Supporting People contract. If you do not make good use of it, by engaging fully with the support provided to you during your stay here, it will be withdrawn and you will have to find alternative accommodation, because accommodation is only provided to people who have support needs and are actively engaging with the support provided. If you fail to engage with the Support on offer, you will be given adequate warning before Support is withdrawn. Complaints If you are in any way dissatisfied with the service you are given, you should, in the first instance, contact the Support Manager. If you are not satisfied with his response, then you should address your complaint to me. IF ANY OF THE ABOVE IS NOT CLEAR, PLEASE ASK FOR AN EXPLANATION. HOME |