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Preventing homelessness

With rising rent costs and a lack of affordable housing, our prevention of homelessness work is more vital than ever before.

As the risk of homelessness continues to rise – driven by rent increases and a shortage of affordable housing – our prevention efforts are more crucial than ever. At HARP, we’re committed to helping more people stay in their homes and access the support they need during these challenging times.

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What we're doing to meet increasing need

To meet the growing demand for homelessness prevention, we’ve raised funds to open a new Prevention Hub. The hub, which opened in October 2024, serves as a comprehensive resource centre, offering a collaborative approach to tackle the root causes of homelessness in Southend. Our prevention team provide vital support to individuals and families at risk, supporting people to navigate eviction processes, homeless applications and more by liaising with landlords and councils in the hopes to prevent rough sleeping and provide advocacy so people can access the services they need.

If you need help you can contact our team here.

How we help people

At HARP, our prevention hub offers a range of vital services, including:

Triage: Our team quickly assess each situation to understand the issues at hand. If you need support with housing advice you can get the help you deserve here. Our team prioritise cases based on urgency and severity, ensuring that those most in need receive immediate attention.

Information, Advice, and Guidance: Our team advocates for clients to help support them with accessing support from the local authority, mental health services, adult social care etc – all in relation with housing. We can support with budgeting advice, accessing support from UC, contacting landlords, signposting in regard to mental health, refer to other agencies, and debt relief.

Case Management: Our Dedicated caseworkers work closely with individuals and families to create personalised plans and aims. We’ll track progress, provide ongoing support if people are housed, and adjust plans as needed to ensure long-term success.

Housing Assistance: Through partnerships with landlords, local authorities, and in house teams, our prevention team help clients access affordable housing options, including support from local housing associations and Councils.

Comprehensive Support: We address all aspects of our clients’ lives as a lot of different things can come into why someone is struggling maintaining housing.

We give advice and support to people regarding their mental and physical health, signposting to external agencies such as Adult social care, accessing GP support, referrals to our in house team that supports with employment and training.

Collaborative Partnerships: We continue to strengthen partnerships with local government, community organisations, businesses, and other stakeholders to maximise the hub’s reach and impact. Our prevention team also run drop ins at a local food bank charity to reach families and people in need of support and advice.

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