Floating Support Service for Homeless Prevention and Housing Support

Essex County Council seeks a qualified provider to deliver a flexible, community-based floating support service across Essex County. This service provides short to medium-term interventions to help vulnerable adults and families maintain stable housing and prevent homelessness. The service targets individuals with complex needs including threatened homelessness, substance misuse, domestic abuse, mental health conditions, physical or sensory impairments, financial hardship, and other vulnerabilities across all housing types (social housing, owner-occupied, private rented, and homeless). Key requirements include: delivering targeted, intensive support to complex cases; providing early intervention and prevention services to those at lower risk; offering flexible support that can scale up or down based on individual needs; establishing clear exit processes that enable re-engagement during crises; supporting peer support, volunteering, and mutual aid opportunities; and partnering effectively with health, social care, criminal justice, and voluntary sector services. Support is time-limited and goal-focused, aiming to enable individuals to achieve independence and maintain their accommodation sustainably.