A significant number of homeless people have been moved into permanent accommodation as part of a Tameside initiative to help people get off the streets and into long-term properties.

Based in Ashton Town Centre, The Town House has been open since December 2020 providing homeless people in Tameside with a place to stay.

So far this year, more than 100 people have moved on from The Town House thanks to support from key workers to find places which are carefully matched to their needs and preferences.

Tameside Council has partnered with a variety of local organisations, including Tameside Housing Advice, Stronger Together Tameside and the Veterans Food Company, to ensure local homeless people and those at risk of losing their home have access to variety of support.

This success has been achieved by providing extensive support to clients so they could move to permanent homes. Strong relationships with local landlords and support providers has also played a significant role with this.

As the number of people who need to stay at The Town House goes down, the council says work will continue and focus on people at risk of homelessness through support services. Any referrals to The Town House come from Tameside Housing Advice who complete the assessments.

There is a variety of individual support available through The Town House including access to employment, further education, welfare rights, tenancy support, GP and healthcare access and drug and alcohol support.

The centre is open to residents between 7pm and 9.30am with access each evening from 7-10pm. When arriving, residents are welcome by security staff who find out if they have any immediate needs before allocating a key worker. Facilities on site include a larder, showers, kitchenette, laundry and clothes bank.

The Town House was initially opened to respond to the growing need for homeless support in Tameside with capacity for beds and rooms to grow further. The centre is supporting the city-wide A Bed Every Night initiative to provide a bed and personal support for anyone sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough in Greater Manchester.

Ian Saxon, Tameside Council director of Place, said: “We have been very successful in reducing the number of rough sleepers in Tameside and with increased focus on prevention we are stemming the flow to the emergency support at The Town House.

“We already work extensively with the third sector and will continue to build relationships to ensure we are building trust and supporting the most vulnerable in Tameside. Our core aim is to prevent anyone in Tameside from sleeping rough or having to sleep rough whilst providing proactive responses to homelessness.”

Anyone finding themselves homeless, or at risk of homelessness, should contact Tameside Housing Advice by visiting https://tamesidehousingadvice.org/, emailing info@tamesidehousingadvice.org or calling 0161 331 2700.

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