Challenge
Homelessness services across the UK have experienced uplifts in the number of people in temporary accommodation since the Homelessness Reduction Act came into force in April 2018. The demand for housing has increased in Rochdale, impacting their housing allocations services.
Rochdale Borough Council identified the need for a new approach to delivering their Homelessness and Housing Allocations services. A new approach to meet these changing needs could give residents the secure base needed to lead more successful, healthier lives.
The Strategic Housing team recognised that a considerable change was needed in the way services are delivered to better meet the needs of residents while addressing escalating costs and increased demand. We supported Rochdale in conducting a discovery around their Homelessness and Allocation services and have shared the lessons we have learned in this case study.
Approach: Discovery, 3 months
We ran a three-month discovery to understand the challenges, pain points and opportunities by speaking with residents and staff about their experiences of the homelessness and housing allocations services. We found that people who access housing services are likely to have touched other council services before. The way the council worked in silos across the system was ineffective, inefficient and did not make the difference Rochdale could make in people’s lives.
The Connected Services Model
With a better understanding of the challenges, we developed a new vision for housing and the Connected Services Model for how housing services could be delivered in the future.
Share this