22 May 2024
Summary:Working in partnership with Lambeth Council, MTVH has received significant investment to provide housing and additional support services to help vulnerable women and LGBTQ+ people. This will help them develop skills and support their transition to more independent lives.
MTVH are delighted to have been awarded funding from the GLA which will help to provide housing support for vulnerable women and LGBTQ+ residents in Lambeth, south London. Lambeth Council has secured just over £2m of funding over three years from the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), to provide housing-related support to young people who would otherwise be at risk of rough sleeping.
This funding will be split between three initiatives which will see partners provide 22 units of specialist services for 22 – 26-year-olds including for young women with mental ill health and additional needs alongside LGBTQ+ young people.
MTVH has been commissioned to provide supported accommodation to young women aged 18 – 25 with mental health and additional needs and especially those who are vulnerable to exploitation. We have also received funding to provide housing support for LGBTQ+ young people aged 18 to 25 in Lambeth, where they will also receive additional training.
This follows funding recently secured by MTVH from Lambeth Council to deliver 24-hour staffed mental health supported accommodation schemes, including a service within the ‘Routes to Independence’ Pathway for nine males with mental ill health and additional needs. This bespoke initiative by Lambeth Council, designed in collaboration with expert housing organisations such as MTVH aims to provide stability and support for young people and help them develop the skills they need to transition to independence.
Claire Wise, Assistant Director of Care & Support Strategy at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing said: “MTVH are delighted to be working with Lambeth Council to develop these services for young people in the borough. This new funding will provide crucial support for young women and LGBTQ+ people in Lambeth with additional needs and who may otherwise be at risk of homelessness. Combined alongside our existing supported housing service in Lambeth, this is a significant investment and demonstration of our commitment to helping young people achieve their full potential and provide them with support to help in their transition to more independent lives.”