Norfolk Strategic Housing Partnership (NSHP)
The Norfolk Strategic Housing Partnership was originally formed to enable the provision of safe accommodation as part of the Government’s ‘Everybody In’ initiative in 2020. The Partnership launched its original Norfolk Homelessness Prevention Strategy in 2022, following an extensive consultation with key stakeholders and was informed by the learning contained within the Resetting the System Report 2020.
About Us
The Norfolk Strategic Housing Partnership (NSHP) is a multi agency group with oversight of the Norfolk Homelessness Prevention Strategy. Membership includes those with strategic responsibility for the delivery of services across the county, working with people who are either at risk of homelessness or homeless.
The NSHP is informed by knowledge and insight provided by the Norfolk Homelessness Solutions Forum. The Forum comprises a broad range of service providers (statutory, voluntary sector and Social Enterprise), working with those at risk or already homeless. The Forum has its own Terms of Reference and Chair, and via the work undertaken by forum members, supports the delivery of the four priorities of the Norfolk Homelessness prevention Strategy. The forum also provides feedback on service challenges and learning to the NSHP.
The Homelessness Prevention Strategy enables the development of a collective commitment to work in partnership, to deliver a county wide approach to homelessness prevention. The Prevention Strategy seeks to address homelessness prevention across the county and includes recognition that Norfolk is a rural county with larger urban areas and that the challenges of homelessness in urban and rural areas may be different. The Prevention Strategy includes a range of household types experiencing homelessness (families, single people, couples).
We have been working with a group of people with Lived Experience of homelessness, to inform us about how to understand the impact on service delivery, where the charter has been adopted.
The NSHP has committed to a Homelessness Charter for the county.
Get Involved
We encourage any organisation working with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to sign up to our Homelessness Charter.
If you’d like any more information about our work, or find out how you could be involved, get in touch with the Project Manager click here
Our Work
- Complete a self-assessment of prevention services in Norfolk
- Develop a homelessness data dashboard with NODA, providing a single picture of homelessness in Norfolk up to March 2023
- Research Private Rented Sector solutions
- Fund an intergenerational mediation pilot
- Commissioned Groundswell to train professionals in coproduction, deliver 5 Speakouts & produce a report on Norfolk coproduction
- Fund employment support for young people
- Update the Mental Health Discharge Protocol
- Complete a systems barrier review with partners
- Hold Norfolk Homelessness Solutions Forum bi monthly meetings, sharing good practice & feedback from working groups focusing on Multiple and Complex Needs and Homelessness Prevention
- Provide in-depth case study reviews of complex cases to inform a pilot ‘Navigator’ post to be trialled in Norwich City
- Develop a Statement of Expectations in relation to standards of temporary accommodation used in Norfolk.
- Start to develop a Homelessness dashboard proof of concept, commissioning NODA to develop the prototype & working alongside a pilot local authority
- Facilitate a workshop to explore move on barriers & solutions with supported accommodation providers to support the development of a pathway out of supported housing
- Launched the NSHP 10 commitments – see link her to the 10 commitments
- Hold ‘Duty to Refer’ workshops for statutory and other organisations
The Norfolk Homelessness Prevention Strategy 2024-2025
In Spring 2024, the partnership came together and reviewed the Norfolk Homelessness Prevention Strategy priorities and key actions, and agreed the following as a focus of work for 2024/25:
- Explore the use of data to predict and prevent homelessness.
- Working with partners develop whole system pathways, early intervention opportunities and homelessness prevention interventions to prevent homelessness (and repeat homelessness).
- Coordinate access to Private Rented Sector housing to minimise the impact of individual districts or projects competing for properties.
- Develop a strategic approach across the county in relation to Temporary Accommodation; taking into account cost, value for money and the standard of accommodation.
- Maximise the effectiveness of existing services by incorporating person centred, strengths based and trauma informed approaches; enabling services to be accessible & work effectively with people with complex issues and needs.
- Address some of the systemic obstacles to accessing services, including mental health services.
- Develop an understanding of the provision of support services and supported accommodation available across the county, including the provision of accommodation for care leavers.
- Involve lived experience experts to ensure they are actively involved in the co production and redesign of services & amplify peoples voices to enable them to share their stories.
- Ensure we are communicating to those with lived experience; how their feedback is shaping the NSHP approach to homelessness prevention.
- Support services to engage with frontline staff to share their knowledge and ideas to shape service delivery.
- Roll out NSHP Ten Commitments and measure the impact.
- Relaunch the Norfolk Homelessness Charter and measure the impact on services that have adopted the charter.