Creative Solutions Board in Practice

A case study by Stephen Pratt, Service Coordinator

 “Golden Key started working with M in 2015 and I’ve been his Service Coordinator since Sept 2016. I’ve built a good open relationship with him, although it took a while. I have an understanding of what leads to his behaviours, which reduce his ability to move forward with his recovery.

For example, he appears to be reluctant to engage with services, but I believe it is a coping mechanism which he has developed while experiencing street homelessness. It’s his way of avoiding negative experiences when he is not able to meet the expectations of services. As a result of this behaviour, he's been evicted or asked to leave many accommodation and support services.

M would also refuse to accept accommodation in the bigger hostels because he did not feel safe there. He was adamant that only one specific smaller hostel where he had had good experiences would work for him. This led to him being declared intentionally homeless. He then refused to work with Outreach services as he felt no one would help him anyway. Another big block that was hindering his recovery was the limited time a client is given when accommodation is allocated. When offered a room, the client has four hours to present to the hostel. M is difficult to locate due to his chaotic lifestyle, so even with five staff from different agencies looking out for him, he missed the deadline and the room was reassigned to someone else.

We presented M’s case at the Creative Solutions Board in November 2019 and explored ways in which the various agencies could help him move on. I explained that the short deadline for presenting himself at the hostel was an issue and that it had led to him missing his place before. Bristol City Council agreed to flex the system and keep M at the top of the list, so that the next available room in his preferred hostel would be his. The room would also be held for longer so there was more chance of finding him. He was successfully accommodated on Christmas Eve 2019. He was supported to maintain the tenancy and remained there for eight months, the longest he’d been accommodated for years.

This is just one of the recommendations that came out of the Creative Solutions Board that day but it made such a difference to M. This shows that when organisations work together and agree to flex the system, clients get the best outcomes.”