Gwent Regional Housing Support Collaborative Group (RHSCG)

Gwent Regional Housing Support Collaborative Group (RHSCG)

The Housing Support Grant (HSG) Programme is an early intervention programme that funds a wide range of housing related support and homelessness services for people at risk of homelessness across Gwent, and supports activity to: help people stabilise their housing situation, prevent people from becoming homeless, or helps people affected by homelessness to find and keep accommodation.

The vision for the Housing Support Programme is:

“A Wales where nobody is homeless and everyone has a safe home where they can flourish and live a fulfilled, active and independent life”.

The preventative nature of the programme supports local, regional and national policy objectives that help people to live independently in the community.  Housing Support Grant services help prevent homelessness, social exclusion, isolation and institutionalisation.  Services also help with the reduction of crime and disorder.

The Regional Housing Support Collaborative Group provides the forum for partners, including local authorities, health, probation, housing support grant providers and landlords to come together to discuss and agree collaborative working which is better placed to be delivered regionally.  This ensures that planning and commissioning of Housing Support Grant funded services makes the most effective use of the Housing Support Grant and meets local needs.  The group is committed to delivery of regional working that provides tangible outcomes that can affect change.

The structure of Housing Support Grant is built on the responsibility of individual Local Authorities to assess needs, strategically plan and offer services which improve the Health and Wellbeing of the people of Wales by; preventing homelessness, reducing demand on other public services and building household capacity. However, whilst the individual Authorities democratic control is recognised, there are important things that are best done through co-operation between them. In particular, Regional Housing Support Collaborative Groups are expected to;

• Develop specialist services for which there is not a critical mass locally
• Develop regional services where justified by economies of scale
• Deliver improvements to be achieved by collaboration
• Collaborate with other public services

The Gwent Regional Housing Support Collaborative Group (RHSCG) covers the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent; Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.

There are six RHSCGs across Wales:  

• The Vale and Cardiff
• Gwent
• Mid and West
• West Glamorgan
• Cwm Taf Morgannwg
• North Wales

The Housing Support Grant Guidance: Practice Guidance for Local Authorities from April 2020 (Updated March 2021) describes the role and functions of the RHSCGs and the regional working landscape in more detail.

Angela Lee

Gwent Housing Support Regional Development Co-ordinator
Adult Social Services, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Anvil Court
Church Street
Abertillery
NP13 1DB

Telephone: 07972 661829

Email: angela.lee@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk

Website: Gwent Housing Support

Twitter: @Gwent_HSG