Housing Partners and the National Practitioner Support Service (NPSS) have jointly developed a new case management system to help housing providers and local authorities meet the requirements for the 2017 Homelessness Reduction Act.
With a pilot project starting in September 2017, Housing Jigsaw is an online tool created to gather data on homelessness direct from local authorities.
Under the Act, local authorities must assess and provide meaningful assistance, including a personalised housing plan, to anyone in their district who is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
Housing Jigsaw is a full case management system which combines practical support and advice covering all aspects of housing options including homelessness and accommodation options. The partnership is also giving all local authorities in England and Wales access to a free communications portal to support their compliance with the new regulation.
Tracy Hendren, service lead, National Practitioner Support Service, said, “Housing Jigsaw will support local authorities nationally to gather consistent data on a customer’s housing journey while also identifying early indicators that can lead to a household becoming homeless.
“We wanted the ability to develop a bespoke IT system that would support local authorities and their partners to deliver the requirements of the Homelessness Reduction Act. This partnership brings together Housing Partners’ IT experience with NPSS’ practitioner expertise to deliver an innovative approach to the early intervention and prevention of homelessness.”
The pilot phase of Housing Jigsaw will run from September 2017 to March 2018.
