Engaging other sectors in Housing First

Housing First is not simply a rough sleeping intervention, but a wider approach to supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantage that typically has positive outcomes for individuals' health and wellbeing, substance use and contact with the criminal justice system.

For Housing First to be effective and to scale-up and make the approach sustainable in England, it is important that we engage and involve the criminal justice, health, mental health, social care and substance use sectors.

To support this effort, we have developed five one-page Housing First briefings for professionals in each of these sectors. These aim to help partners understand:

• what Housing First is and who it is for
• why it is relevant to their work
• the role they play in supporting Housing First teams
• the relevant support approaches, including trauma-informed care, being strengths-based and harm reduction

Housing First services can edit the briefings to include their service details use them as a tool to build up relationships and joint working arrangements with local partners. Please download the briefings on a PC or laptop for correct formatting.