Bespoke Housing Solutions

Wessmaps Housing Trust is a charity based in Hampshire that provides high quality bespoke housing solutions in Hampshire and the surrounding counties and intensive housing management support services for vulnerable people. This ensures our tenants are supported to manage the logistics of finding their dream home, securing and maintaining their tenancy and thus are able live independently. The central premise to our intensive housing management support service is enabling and encouraging our tenants to make choices regarding their choice of home, and appropriately supporting our tenants to secure and maintain their tenancy so they may thrive in their community.

Personal Support and Intensive Housing Management Related Support

Historically, many vulnerable people we work with have been unnecessarily placed in residential care facilities, hospitals and or have remained in family homes where relatives may have struggled to cope due to a lack of bespoke available housing and support options. Traditionally, vulnerable people have often had choices made on their behalf or for their best interest. However, with the publication of The Governments ‘Valuing People Now’ paper (2009) that stated all people with learning disability have the right to lead their lives like any others, with the same opportunities and responsibilities, with the right support to make this possible and to be treated with the same dignity and respect. Numerous organisations have established a supported living ‘arm’ of their organisations. This allows for the provision of care, support and supervision for vulnerable people in their own home. Whilst this can work well, it can create confusion between personal support and intensive housing management related support. Wessmaps Housing Trust delivers intensive housing management related support independently of personal support via our housing officer team. This ensures Wessmaps Housing Trust tenants remain in a secure tenancy even if there are changes in the circumstance of their personal care, support and supervision. With Wessmaps intensive housing management support services the tenants home will not be at risk. Moreover, the Care Quality commission (CQC) is keen to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported in their own home to fulfill the guidelines outlined in The Care Act 2014. We feel that an intensive housing management support service, consulting the service user, their relatives (where appropriate), the expertise of personal care, support and supervision providers combined with specialist knowledge and experience of a supported housing provider such as Wessmaps Housing Trust, creates an entirely bespoke package of care, support and supervision for a vulnerable person that places the individual at the heart of the process, whilst providing a complete service that enables vulnerable people to live independently within the community.

How We Work

Wessmaps Housing Trust works in collaboration with vulnerable people, their relatives (where appropriate), and personal care, support and supervision providers to source and secure suitable long-term accommodation that meets the tenant’s personal needs and preferences. This guarantees the tenant is at the heart of the process and realises their choice of home.

Wessmaps Housing Trust does not own a stock of housing. Therefore, we have no pressures to fill properties that may not meet the needs of our vulnerable tenants. Our changing property portfolio adapts to best fit the individual needs of our tenants. This fluidity of our property portfolio ensures that our valuable resources are not tied up in void costs for a property that no longer meets our tenants needs and are instead focused on capturing good quality, secure and sustainable, long-term accommodation. Together with Wessmaps Housing Trusts Intensive housing management services our vulnerable tenants are provided a bespoke person-centered service to live independently in the community.

What We Do

  • Property Search

    Our expert team completes a detailed property search across the market to identify property that best matches the tenants needs and requirements. We typically secure up to three potential properties (dependent on market availability and need) we then work in partnership with our tenants to secure their new home.

  • Check In

    On the first day of the tenancy our housing team will meet with the tenant and their personal care support and supervision team at their new home to provide the keys and explain the tenancy agreement (available in an accessible format) to ensure our tenants are informed about their new home. We endeavor to work with tenants, their relatives and personal care support and supervision team to enable and empower our tenants to meet their responsibilities under their tenancy agreement.

  • Facilitation

    For many of our tenants the completion of a housing benefit application is necessary. As part of Wessmaps Housing Services intensive housing management support services we aid our tenants to complete the application process to make their initial claim. Wessmaps Housing Trust typically is instructed by the tenant to be the point of contact for the local housing authority to process any further housing benefit related queries on their behalf.

  • 24/7 Property Services Hotline

    Wessmaps Housing Trust understands that from time to time there may be accidental damage, adaptations or the need to instruct emergency repairs to a home. This can be very stressful for our tenants, their visiting relatives and their personal care support and supervision teams. To relieve the stress Wessmaps Housing Trust provides as 24 hour, 7 days a week property services hotline were tenants are empowered by their personal care, support and supervision team to report any concerns or repairs to their property. Wessmaps Housing Trust will then liase with contractors, the tenant and their personal care, support and supervision team to complete the repairs in a timely manner.

  • Tenancy Clinics

    To maintain their tenancy, our tenants are committed to engage with both the personal and intensive housing care, support and supervision provided. Wessmaps Housing Trust has a specialist team of housing officers that conduct regular tenancy clinics with our tenants and their care, support and supervision team. Our housing officers meet by appointment with each of our tenants to talk with them about their tenancy and well-being. This provides our tenants an opportunity to raise concerns about their property and the care, support and supervision they are receiving. Tenancy clinics are an ideal opportunity for our specialist housing officers to review and reflect in partnership with the tenant on their recent progress and ensure the future planning remains person centered. We actively encourage our tenants to participate in their communities, and empower them to engage with community centered groups and activities so that they may thrive.

  • Support

    Occasionally our tenants move on to new chapters. Our specialist Wessmaps Housing Trust housing officers remain committed to empowering our tenants to end their tenancy agreement with us and will support tenants to find alternative accommodation. Each of our tenants is unique, and so are their circumstances. Therefore, our teams will work in partnership to ensure the person-centered planning meets the needs and requirements of the individual.