Supported accommodation schemes
Services for adults with complex needs
Pomona Place and Bridge House are supported accommodation schemes located both north and south of the city. Between them they have 31 self-contained flats for single homeless people aged 18 plus with a range of complex needs including mental health issues, substance misuse and ex-offenders. There are also four further dispersed properties in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye utilised by this service as step down accommodation.
Referrals for this accommodation comes exclusively through the council's Housing Solutions Team, and people accommodated can stay for up to two years.
The service has a professional team offering a 24/7 staffed service with tailored support around the individuals and are keen to communicate the message that having a stable home is vital to learning independence and leading successful lives.
The properties have welcoming facilities and communal spaces that have recently been refurbished and provide a safe, non-judgemental environment for people to gain the support they need to be able to realise their potential, enter employment and build their life skills to become self-reliant and move into long-term accommodation.
People supported can often arrive with little or no possessions, so the service ensures items are provided such as towels, bedding, kitchen utensils and a full range of necessary items to allow self-sufficiency.
The professional team offer people supported respect and dignity and ask for this to be reciprocated and they recognise that good mental health is key and that having a welcoming and pleasant environment is extremely important.
The team has recently been successful in gaining grant funding to modernise the communal areas and have re-landscaped the gardens at Bridge House. People accommodated have taken pride in this and are growing their own plants and vegetables. The kitchen areas are used for communal cookery sessions, where people learn to cook together and share their meals.