DISC's Independent Living Service Delivery Unit focuses on independent living and accommodation support for individuals marginalised in the community. Through the National Supporting People Initiative the SDU helps hundreds of people settle into independent living in the community, especially those with a history of offending, drug & alcohol problems, mental health problems and homelessness. We also provide specific support to young people leaving care, vulnerable young parents and to serious young offenders referred to Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes (ISSP).
DISC's housing support services aim to provide choice through the flexibility and diversity of delivery. We involve service users in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of our services. We ensure all staff have the appropriate qualifications, experience, skills, training and support to maintain a high quality service.
Through the National Supporting People Intitative our services help hundreds of people settle into independent living in the community, especially those with a history of offending, drug and alcohol problems, mental health problems and homelessness. Our work focusses on the following key themes:-
Floating Support
To enable people to move toward and settle into independent living within the community. We currently provide this scheme to the following groups of people and geographical areas:-
- Single people aged 16 – 25 (Sedgefield, Durham City, Chester-le-Street,
Easington, Wear Valley and Teesdale) funded by Supporting People. - People aged 16 – 25 – Stockton-on-Tees – funded by Stockton
Supporting People. - People over the age of 16 with mental health problems – Darlington –
funded by Supporting People. - Young people who are engaged with the Youth Offending Service –
Stockton-on-Tees - funded by Stockton Youth Offending Service and
Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland - funded by South Tees Youth
Offending Service. - People aged to 16 to 24 in Hartlepool – funded by Hartlepool Borough
Council.
This is a multi-agency approach to homelessness involving 16-17 year olds. We provide this service across County Durham and we work closely with local authorities, Social Care and Health Service, NCH, Mediation Services and other statutory and voluntary agencies to provide a swift, coordinated multi-agency response to meet the needs of homeless 16-17 year olds.
Advice and Assistance - Darlington
This project aims to give advice and assistance to all those clients referred by the Darlington Community Mental Health Team. The outreach service is held in several locations around Darlington. We offer help and assistance in finding accommodation from all sectors and support our clients into the tenancy. The client is then signposted and/or referred, if necessary, to other agencies for ongoing independent living support.
Our Legal Services Commission Programme
The Independent Living Service Delivery Unit holds a contract with the Legal Services Commission to deliver advice and assistance at court with regard to housing law matters. This has enabled us to support our service users in matters concerning rent arrears, illegal eviction, transfer or allocation problems, disrepair issues, homelessness and threat of homelessness and issues around Housing Benefit claims.
Support For Anti Social Famillies
This project is funded through by the Home Office and provides support to families who have been evicted, or who are at risk of eviction, due to anti social behaviour. This scheme is not specifically aimed at single homeless people or young people at risk, however, in the majority of cases, the perpetrator of the anti social behaviour are the young people within the family. A substantial amount of support is provided which includes liaising with Social Services, Health, Education, Police, Housing Providers and the Local Authority.