Housing trusts form homeless service JV
Chester District Housing Trust and Forum Housing Association are to take over Cheshire West & Chester Council's service for housing homeless people.
In a joint statement Forum Housing's chief executive, Chris Allen, and CDHT's group director, Dave Shaw, said: "Foundation Enterprises, North West, a new joint enterprise between Forum Housing Association and Chester and District Housing Trust, is delighted to be chosen as the preferred partner to deliver Supporting People services across West Cheshire.
"Our experience, local presence and reputation for excellence will allow us to deliver best in class services that genuinely change lives. We look forward to working with Cheshire West and Chester Council over the coming years to achieve this."
The newly formed consortium will look to:
- Move people to accommodation for 12 months
- Engage homeless people in education, training, employment, or volunteering
- Reconnect people from outside the borough with their home area for at least 12 months
- Successfully keep the 'most entrenched rough sleepers' off streets for 12 months
The council and the suppliers have agreed a £400,000 investment in new accommodation to add to existing hostels in the borough.
The contract has been awarded for five years and will begin in November.
