Aberdeenshire Outreach Housing Support Services

Aberdeenshire Council is seeking an outcome focused Young Persons Outreach Housing Support Service to meet the needs of those aged 16 - 21 and for those who are care leavers up to and including age 26 who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness and who may have complex needs. This may include supporting their resettlement from supported accommodation.

The service will be required to be assertive, build relationships and to assist people who are not yet willing and motivated to engage in support. Flexibility will be given to the service provider to build relationships with the client to gain trust. We expect the provider to prioritise in-person visits at all stages of the journey whenever possible, using every opportunity to meet and engage directly rather than relying solely on text or telephone communication.

The service will need to be assertive in their nature and use every interaction as a chance to build relationships, to assist people who are not yet willing and motivated to engage in support. Flexibility will be given to the service provider to build relationships with the client to gain trust. It is an expectation that all opportunities to work with associated partners to maximise efforts to engage is taken. We expect the provider to prioritise in-person visits at all stages of the journey whenever possible, using every opportunity to meet and engage directly rather than relying solely on text or telephone communication.

The service will support 125 people per month and be delivered flexibly across Aberdeenshire including rural areas. Support should be scheduled around the needs of the person and there may be a requirement to operate outwith office hours, however this would be in exceptional circumstances and there is no expectation for a 24-hour service.

Young Persons referred will present with varying levels of need. Some may require only minimal support, such as simple signposting, while others may have more complex needs due to challenging circumstances. These circumstances could include substance misuse, offending behaviour or placing themselves at risk of harm, all of which may increase the likelihood of losing their current accommodation. We anticipate that the level of support provided will gradually reduce over time as individuals develop the necessary skills and resilience. All support should be person-centred and tailored to meet the unique needs of everyone.

People may also have a range of health needs e.g. mental health, learning disabilities, physical disability etc. For clarity, we would expect the providers to prompt a client to attend a GP, or promote activities or local community groups, and signpost to relevant agencies rather than providing direct medical or therapeutic input.

The focus of the service will be to enable independent tenancy sustainment and embed people within the local communities, building resilience to prevent homelessness in the future. This will mean taking a proactive approach to providing support and identifying and assisting with other issues that become apparent during the support or recognising areas to build on with individuals such as gaining employment, looking for volunteering opportunities, picking up on interests and encouraging clients to join local groups.

The service is expected to collaborate with Aberdeenshire Council statutory partners and others operating within the homelessness sector in Aberdeenshire to deliver our strategic objective to prevent and reduce homelessness.

This Service will require to be registered with Care Inspectorate as a Housing Support Service.

The service is required to be flexible and adapt over the life of the contract to meet the changing needs and requirements in Aberdeenshire, and the delivery of the new Housing (Scotland) Bill 2025. The service provider should be innovative and proactive with change. Additional information: The contract will be for an initial three year term with two optional 12 month extensions, i.e., 3+1+1. The estimated spend figure of GBP1575075 is based on a maximum 5 year period.

Aberdeenshire Council requires an Outreach Housing Support Service to deliver statutory housing support duty and provide early intervention for those at risk of homelessness who are aged 21 and over.

The key aims of the service are to:

• Enable independent tenancy sustainment.
• Prevent repeat homelessness.
• Offer tailored housing and social support.
• Empower individuals to access health, education, and employment.
• Promote community integration and resilience.

The service will be required to be assertive, build relationships and to assist people who are not yet willing and motivated to engage in support. Flexibility will be given to the service provider to build relationships with the client to gain trust. We expect the provider to prioritise in-person visits at all stages of the journey whenever possible, using every opportunity to meet and engage directly rather than relying solely on text or telephone communication.

The service will support 300 people per month and be delivered flexibly across Aberdeenshire including rural areas. Support should be scheduled around the needs of the person and there may be a requirement to operate outwith office hours, however this would be in exceptional circumstances and there is no expectation for a 24-hour service.

Adults referred will present with varying levels of need. Some may require only minimal support, such as simple signposting, while others may have more complex needs due to challenging circumstances. These circumstances could include substance misuse, offending behaviour or placing themselves at risk of harm, all of which may increase the likelihood of losing their current accommodation. People may also have a range of health needs e.g. mental health, learning disabilities, physical disability etc.

The support provided will be tailored to meet the needs of each person accessing the service and should be able to be delivered via a range of methods including face to face, telephone or across digital platforms depending on the individual needs and preferences of the person. This applies to individual and/or group activities. Additional information: The contract will be for an initial three year term with two optional 12 month extensions, i.e., 3+1+1. The estimated spend figure of GPB3386255 is based on a maximum 5 year period.