As part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Refugee Welcome Programme, Boaz is working across several boroughs in Greater Manchester to support people with refugee status who are now facing homelessness.
Our Refugee Homelessness Prevention Project works with single adults who find themselves facing or experiencing homelessness after recently being granted refugee status. We offer focused support to find, secure and move into accommodation, primarily through the private rented sector (including shared housing). Through one-to-one appointments and ongoing follow up work we support individuals to identify and access appropriate housing opportunities. Our staff help with property searches, landlord liaison and tenancy readiness support. We also work with partners (including local authorities and voluntary sector organisations) to access other forms of relevant support including deposit schemes, furniture offers and more. As people move into their new accommodation, we offer a low level of support where this is required, to ensure they have the best possible chance of sustaining successful tenancies.
Eligibility Criteria
The project works with adults (aged over 18) who have recently been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection. They will be currently rough sleeping, at risk of rough sleeping or living in off-the-streets accommodation and they will have been assessed as having No Priority Need under the Homelessness Reduction Act.
The Referral Process
Initially this project can accept referrals from the local authority and / or the specific organisations we will be based within across the different boroughs. This is to manage capacity as we mobilise the project, and to help us assess the level of demand for this work. In the months ahead, we may be able to accept referrals into this project from more organisations and voluntary sector partners. We will provide updates and advertise any changes as widely as possible.
Offer for voluntary and community groups
As part of this project, we also offer training workshops (online or in-person) for voluntary sector, faith and community-based organisations to help staff and volunteers understand the statutory homelessness system and current pressures, and to explore different pathways into accommodation for people who have recently been granted refugee status. The aim of these is to raise awareness of different processes and practice so that people who need accommodation have the best chance of finding somewhere safe and stable to live. If you are interested in finding out more about this offer, please email [email protected] with the subject Training Request.