Homelessness is different for each person.
At Gosport we believe that people who are homeless have had their lives disrupted and this makes them vulnerable, at least for a period of time.
We also realise that the temporary home that a person is given can make the homeless situation better or in some cases worse. This will also affect the amount of help a person will need.
At Gosport we are aiming to improve the standard of temporary accommodation but there is still a severe shortage of good quality temporary and permanent self-contained accommodation. In some cases homeless people are spending years in temporary accommodation.
We try to deal with both the immediate problems a homeless person has and their needs for the future.
YOUR RIGHTS
Not all but some people will need help either for a short or a longer period of time while they are homeless. Whichever is the case, people have rights to the service provided by the Homelessness Support Service.
These rights are:
- The right so say what they want or do not want in terms of help
- The right to be involved in deciding what help they need and how it will be given
- The right to complain and have a senior officer look at their case
- The right to say no to any help, apart from where you need to claim Housing Benefit to help pay for your temporary accommodation (including State Benefits if applicable)
- The right to ask for a review of the help needed and how it will be given
- The right to privacy in your temporary accommodation
- The right to confidentiality of information
- The right to be treated with respect
- The right to choose how help will be given
THE AIMS OF THE SERVICE
These are:
- To give help so that people can overcome the disruption to their lives brought about by being homeless
- To help people to become independent but also to give help when it is needed
- To make sure that people are treated with respect, dignity, and independence
- To give choice and control to people wherever possible
THE SERVICE WE WILL PROVIDE
- All homeless people will be able to use the basic support service
- If a homeless person has special needs these will be discussed and a support plan will be put in place to deal with those needs
- The type of accommodation to be provided will be taken into account when looking at a persons needs
- The persons views and wishes will be respected while taking into account the limits of the service and the law
Supporting People Team Tel: (023) 9254 5602
Temporary accommodation Team Tel: (023) 9254 5652
