GLA- 81898 CMF Non-UK National Rough Sleeper Services

A reduction of non-UK nationals living on the streets, with fewer non-UK nationals becoming entrenched on the streets of London and developing higher support needs, and needs being better addressed. This is referred as Lot 1 Holistic Assessment Service.

1. The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Rough Sleeping team is seeking an organisation to provide emergency accommodation and wrap-around assessment and support to rough sleepers with medium to high support needs and unclear entitlements and/or immigration status. The Holistic Assessment Service (HAS) will enable the full assessment and move-on support of rough sleepers who would otherwise not be able to properly engage with services while on the streets due to their support needs. It will provide wrap-around assessment and support alongside the accommodation, including immigration advice, substance misuse support and mental health support and services may be expanded as per needs of the clients. Where possible, the project will also include a women-specific area to ensure the specific needs of women experiencing homelessness are met and that they feel safe.
2. The service will include approximately 15-20 bed spaces and run for 18 months. It will provide the space and support to allow the target group to intensively engage with services, confirm their eligibility and move-on to sustainable accommodation.
3. Overall service will be shaped so that the service will seek to reduce the number of non-UK nationals living on the streets, with fewer non-UK nationals becoming entrenched on the streets of London and developing higher support needs, and needs being better addressed.

The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Rough Sleeping team is seeking to procure an organisation to manage a capacity building programme to upskill the homelessness and migrant sectors to better support non-UK national rough sleepers.

1. The training programme will seek to increase understanding on the needs and rights of this group, the tools, opportunities and barriers in the system to support them and improving the level of collaboration between the migrant and homelessness sectors.
2. This project will run for 18 months and it will include online training and workshops, some personalised sessions, second tier advice and facilitating a community of learners.
3. The GLA is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified organisation from the homelessness and/or migrant sectors to undertake this brief. Successful appointees will have:

• demonstrable experience and expertise in effectively supporting migrant rough sleepers out of homelessness
• good links and knowledge of the needs and challenges faced by organisations in the homelessness and migrant sectors in London;
• expertise in conveying information in a clear and concise way and delivering training and second tier advice; and
• expertise in immigration and housing law and policy, including the EU Settlement Scheme, the new immigration system and the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. Ideally the successful appointee will be qualified to provide immigration advice under the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or similar.

4 The programme will include training on:

• Non-UK nationals’ rights and entitlements post-Brexit
• Practical support for non-UK rough sleepers
• Understanding rough sleeping and homelessness services
• Roma cultural awareness (led by the Roma Rough Sleepers Mediator Service which is also being commissioned)
• Specialist support for homeless migrant women, migrants who are LGBTQI, and migrants with physical and mental health needs including those with drug and alcohol dependence

5. The service provider will provide training through online webinars and workshops, which will be recorded and made freely available on the provider’s website for the duration of the project as a minimum. Additionally, the provider will offer practical, face-to-face (when possible depending on relevant Covid restrictions and guidance) and personalised sessions to a limited number of organisations.
6. GLA reserve the right to expand the service as per needs of the client (rough sleepers).

The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Rough Sleeping team is seeking an organisation to provide a specialist service to support Roma rough sleepers in London and the organisations working with them.

1. The Roma Rough Sleepers Mediator Service will support Roma rough sleepers to understand and access their entitlements and liaise with services to ensure equal access. Through this specialist service for Roma rough sleepers, the specific needs of Roma clients and relevant best practice to meet these needs will be better addressed by local authorities and service providers, including in relation to delivering offers of support and accommodation options. The specialist service will also improve Roma rough sleepers’ engagement and trust in mainstream service providers, and support Roma rough sleepers to positively access relevant services and work towards ultimately securing a sustainable route off the street.
2. The service provider will need to recognise the importance of trauma-informed practice and understand the long-term impact of racism, discrimination, destitution and rough sleeping on Roma people and their mental health. The service will need to include staff from the Roma community to support communication and engagement with clients.
3. This is a pan-London service, but intensive support will be provided to at least 3 London boroughs.
4. The service provider will support participating local authorities to create a working culture where Roma rough sleepers can feel safe, respected, listened to and supported in finding sustainable routes off the streets. This will include adopting trauma-informed practices and strength-based approach that meet the needs of this group.
5. The service provider will ensure that service users are supported:

• to engage with mainstream services
• to access health services and basic welfare support
• to access legal advice on immigration, housing, welfare benefits and discrimination
• to access literacy/ESOL and employability support where relevant

6. The service provider will provide training and resources on Roma cultural awareness in collaboration with the GLA’s commissioned provider of the training programme for the homelessness and migrant sectors.
7. The service will be expanded as per the needs to the Roma Rough Sleepers.