Background information on the Positive Pathway Model
The C2C Toolkit is based upon the Positive Pathway Model for Young People.
Following the election of Andy Street as Mayor of the West Midlands in 2017, the Homelessness Taskforce was established, with the aim to ‘design out homelessness’. In May 2019, the Homelessness Taskforce was embedded within the Public Service Reform portfolio of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The WMCA has no statutory duties, powers or resources around homelessness, but in designing out homelessness, is committed to identifying and addressing gaps and flaws in policies, procedures, laws, structures, systems and relationships that either cause or fail to prevent homelessness. It recognises that homelessness takes many forms – rough sleeping, sofa surfing, night- shelters, B&B, temporary accommodation, hostels, squatting, and is a complex mix of personal and wider structural factors, such as health, employment, relationships and housing.
The model
The model, developed by St Basils and commissioned by MHCLG, is increasingly used across the sector. It was created in order to help local authorities and their partners to develop a more collaborative and integrated approach to service development and delivery, to better prevent and relieve homelessness.
The model, adapted for use by the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce and the C2C Toolkit, helps to identify what is already being done to prevent homelessness, identify where the gaps are, and what might be done to address those gaps. Thus, underpinning a better understanding to enhance the protective factors within the universal space and target homeless prevention at the earliest possible opportunity.
While it may appear linear, it is recognised that experience of life, especially in the occurrence of something like homelessness, is rarely straightforward. The model could in fact be conveyed as circular, reflecting that it is universal prevention that enables and maintains the status of a settled home.
The model encourages and builds a Commitment to Collaborate. It highlights the people groups, the areas around prevention to be addressed, and the mainstream strategies to be influenced.
Prevent
- Universal prevention
- Targeted prevention
Help
- Crisis prevention and relief
- Recovery
Create Pathways
- Move on support
- Settled home
Definitions
This is what prevents homelessness without having any directly perceived relationship to homelessness prevention. Those things in society and life that are protective factors. In health terms universal prevention is having fluoride in water, health advice to eat ‘five a day’, and immunisations; in homelessness terms it is those factors which support and protect – health, income, relationships, secure accommodation, amongst many others.
This is provision or interventions which have a designed purpose in preventing homelessness or related issues. For example, housing advice, leaving care pathway, discretionary housing payments, bond schemes.
This is where homeless crisis is imminent or occurring, requiring emergency accommodation. The objective is for any crisis to be as brief
and having as small an impact as possible.
For example, the experience of temporary accommodation, hostel accommodation or rough sleeping.
This is the work required in re-establishing the protections against homelessness and often dealing with the causes and impact of homelessness. This may include financial, health, relationship, rebuilding.
This is what is required for the physical, emotional and cognitive moving on from a homelessness experience. For example, it may be very practical matters like the logistics of moving, or the emotional support to deal with change and challenges.
This is attaining the desired state of protection against homelessness, the re-established factors being in place, while also clearly requiring the access to affordable, secure accommodation.
WMCA retain the exclusive right to validate and award the C2C Logo to stakeholders. This will ensure consistency and allow WMCA to maintain oversight of the use of the C2C Logo for any agreed purposes.
This toolkit should not be used for any purpose other than that specified within this document. This includes being reproduced in part or whole without express permission in writing from WMCA.