Best Practice: Bench Outreach Housing First

Team: Bench Outreach Housing First, Lewisham, London Borough of Lewisham

Overview of service: A team of Housing First Workers, who each have a caseload of clients, living independently in the community, who they work with. Support is tailored to individual need, and centres around recovery, community integration and tenancy maintenance.

A vulnerable person was housed in the community, as part of a Housing First Service in Lewisham. Occasional clearances of the flat were completed, but a pattern of hoarding was persistent. The client had a history of Mental Health challenges, and at one point had a major relapse, not taking mediation and experiencing hallucinations. The condition of their home worsened to the point where it became unsafe.

The priority was to stabilise their mental health. Following a Professionals’ Meeting with all agencies involved in the client’s care, a plan was agreed. Increased visits were put in place, with the aim of getting them restarted on their medication. This was achieved, and when there was a degree of stability, each room was addressed, in turn, with lots of support from staff.

As the client was completely involved in the plan to declutter each room in turn, and this was done in conjunction with their mental health improving, they were able to recognise the connection between the two. ‘Before and after’ pictures were given to them, as a tool to recognise warning signs for when things might be getting bad again and understand what’s happening. As they don’t tend to hoard when well, they were able to recognise and understand the connection between this behaviour and their mental health. The multi-agency approach meant all relevant parties were kept updated with progress and were on hand to support again.

Learn more about all the incredible work carried out by Bench Outreach HERE