About the Organisation
The West London Housing Partnership (WLHP) is a group of seven boroughs who come together to share and develop best practice and work collaboratively to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, as part of the West London Alliance (WLA).
We bring together homelessness and temporary accommodation managers and Rough Sleeping Leads and commission services on behalf of the partnership to complement services in each of the boroughs.
We also support and facilitate sub-regional partnership working, including the implementation of protocols and commitments to reciprocal working for people facing homelessness and rough sleeping who cannot be safely supported and accommodated in their borough of origin.
The WLA also oversees the Setting the Standards service which seeks to improve the quality and safety of temporary accommodation used by boroughs to meet their homelessness duties under the HRA 2017. We also oversee the Inter Borough Accommodation Agreement which seeks to avoid boroughs competing for temporary accommodation and escalating the costs for all.
Request details
As part of the government’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), the West London Housing Partnership has secured funding to provide “rest centres” for rough sleepers over the winter months – including people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF). However, they are struggling to identify a suitable building to establish the service with partners from the VCSE sector.
They are seeking premises near to public transport and accessible to people sleeping rough in all West London boroughs. Their ideal location would be in the Southall area (Ealing) as there is a particularly acute problem here for people experiencing frequent rough sleeping and destitution.
Funding has been secured to pay for the staffing and running costs (including equipment/ heat and light), with the potential to make a small contribution towards rent for the premises.
The WLHP would therefore be very grateful for support with finding free or low-cost temporary premises that meet the following requirements:
- Space to accommodate 20 – 40 individuals sleeping on camp beds in one or more shared spaces totalling at least 98m sq.
- Space of 46m sq. for dining/activities and two x 4.8 m sq areas for staff offices and support work.
- The premises to be fire safe, with toilets at a ratio of at least 1:18 (for men only).
- The premises also need to be able to maintain an ambient temperature of at least 18 degrees
- Continuous access from early January to mid-March would be ideal, alternatively, access during this period on a responsive/ reactive basis with setting up and closing down triggered by temperature (i.e. temperatures fall below zero centigrade in London).
- Ideally, the space would also have the following additional facilities: showers, kitchen facilities (for warm drinks and heating pre-prepared food only), a dedicated entrance and parking.
They are flexible about the space to be used. For example, it could include empty office premises awaiting refurbishment or planning permission for change of use.
Timeline
Confirmation of the premises needs be in place by 30.11.2023