Preventing homelessness
Southdown delivers the West Sussex Signpost services in Horsham and Mid Sussex, and Worthing and Adur, through partnership with the District Councils and Supporting People.
Signpost offers a range of assistance to anyone over the age of 16 to help them prevent the loss of their home or to access suitable housing. Applicants can be in any type of accommodation and can contact us directly or be referred by another agency.
Applicants are assisted to explore the options available to help them resolve their housing related problems. Depending upon the level of difficulty the applicant is facing and any vulnerability, the teams can provide telephone advice and guidance, signpost onto specialist advice agencies, offer short-term practical support, or refer applicants onto specialist support services.
People have accessed all sorts of help and advice around issues such as rent and mortgage arrears, anti-social behaviour problems, finding housing, dealing with debts, claiming benefits, and accessing health and community care services.
Our work is an integral part of the Local Authorities’ homeless prevention strategies and has a significant impact on reducing the number of people at risk of homelessness, as well as supporting people placed in temporary accommodation to maintain their tenancies and move on to permanent accommodation. The proactive and flexible nature of the support enables us to work quickly with applicants including those in crisis, and over 1800 applicants have been successfully supported since July 2007.
Please click here to Contact us for further information and to make a referral.