SOME OF OUR CLIENT'S STORIES
We arrange and pay for bed and breakfast, one night at a time, for clients who have been referred to us by our voluntary sector partner agencies.
The average length of stay is only two nights, but this gives both client and agency a bit of breathing space and time to seek other solutions. In particularly complex cases, we are able to offer more than two nights.
Here are some of our client's stories, showing how StopGap has helped them.
Adrian
Adrian is a man in his late 20s. He first came into our orbit earlier this year after he lost his job and was evicted from a private tenancy due to rent arrears. As a result, he found himself sofa surfing at various addresses, including that of an elderly family member. However, these arrangements were not appropriate for the longer term, and he drifted into rough sleeping, whereupon he called our outreach service for help.
Adrian is able-bodied and mentally well. The paradoxical misfortune of this is that on completing a Homelessness Reduction Act assessment which we had arranged with Sheffield City Council, he was given a “non-priority need” decision and therefore not offered temporary or supported accommodation placement at that time. However, he was eligible for their “Private Rented Solutions” scheme, which involves council support with a bond and a first month’s rent if an appropriate landlord and property can be identified. With the council’s own stock of temporary accommodation options in such short supply, this solution is being implemented with an increasing number of people currently presenting as homeless but not having a clear “priority need”, including Adrian.
He managed to find a property and agree a tenancy. At this point we implemented the Stop Gap protocol as his move-in date and the date for the council’s financial support to commence were not aligned. We booked him three nights in a local hotel during which Adrian was able to finalise his arrangements. He was subsequently able to sign his tenancy and move in with all relevant costs covered.
Whilst the Stop Gap scheme couldn’t entirely prevent an episode of rough sleeping in this instance, it provided a short but valuable window of space and flexibility during which a successful transition out of rough sleeping could be achieved. Moreover, it has strongly reduced the likelihood of Adrian becoming an entrenched rough sleeper in the future.
Zahra
Framework received a telephone referral for someone who was going to be roofless from
the City of Sanctuary. Framework went to go and meet them to see if they could help.
Zahra was originally from Iran. She moved to England and claimed asylum. Whilst she was
seeking asylum, she was provided with accommodation in Sheffield. Once she was granted
leave to remain in the UK, her accommodation was no longer valid and she was made
homeless.
She had spoken to Sheffield City Council and although they could help her look for
accommodation in the long term, they could not look at temporary accommodation for her.
This was because Zahra was not considered to have any significant mental health or physical
health issues, so did not qualify for temporary accommodation. As she had no family in the UK she
had nowhere else to go.
Using the new Stop Gap Hotel Pilot, Framework was able to book Zahra into a hotel for a
maximum of three nights. During this time, Framework could look at options for her. After
two nights in the hotel, Zahra moved into St Wilfrid’s supported accommodation. This is a
great outcome for Zahra thanks to the Stop Gap Hotel Pilot.
Client A
Was found rough sleeping by the Street Outreach team on 23/10/24. Client A had recently had a caesarean section but the baby was stillborn. The pregnancy was the result of sexual assault and so her husband had asked her to leave the marital home. Children and families social care who had been supporting Client A prior to her C-section was no longer involved as the baby had not survived birth.
The council were unclear if they had a duty to house due to complications around her immigration status and around whether she was homeless due to a possible right to return to the marital home.
The client had suffered significant trauma in the months prior to her rough sleeping and due the recent major surgery of a C-Section Client A was at significant risk of both mental and physical harm while on the streets
Stopgap funding meant that the Street Outreach team could accommodate this woman in a safe place while further investigations were undertaken. It also helped gain Client A's trust so Street Outreach were able to support her to seek medical care for an infection of her surgical wound. Client A was admitted to hospital for treatment from the Stopgap placement and on leaving hospital was able to be placed under discretionary Rough Sleeper Initiative funding.
These are just some of the examples of our client success stories- there are so many other similar cases.