Curo News

"Coming from being homeless to where I am now, it’s fantastic” - hear Dug's story

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 10:57:40 Z

Curo works with South Gloucestershire Council to deliver Housing First across the local authority area, helping people find a home for good after long periods of homelessness. This is an innovative approach to addressing homelessness, by providing intensive support for people who need that bit more specialist help that is tailored to their needs.

Through Housing First, Curo have been able to support Dug to find a new home, where he can feel safe. However much more than that he has used this as a base where he can explore his passion for music.

"I came out of prison in June last year and I was put in temporary accommodation which wasn’t suitable because I’m in a wheelchair.

"Cathy [Dug’s support worker] got in touch with me and we found the place that I’m in now. It’s really worked out well.

"The support from Cathy has meant I can get my head sorted out, get myself focussed and it keeps me grounded. It gives me mental security, it’s a more stable environment."

By focusing on his strengths and passions he has a positive focus in life with something to look forward to with plans now to start a degree course in music production. This will help with his confidence building which in turn will help him develop the day to day skills that are needed to live independently, improve emotional wellbeing and resilience.

"Coming from being homeless at one point to where I am now, it’s fantastic.”

Curo also provides Housing First in Bath & North East Somerset - find out more here.

Curo Hot Topics - Housing first

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 12:09:00 Z

What is the Housing First project? Find out here in our latest Hot Topics video.

Enjoy this discussion? We have even more chats like this on our Youtube channel.

Find out more about Housing First here.

Homelessness stories: Dan

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:15:06 Z

Dan was on the street, sleeping in a tent. When the little he had left was stolen he came to Curo and was provided with a safe place to live with the support he needed to get his life back together.

Homelessness can affect anyone, any time, for a multitude of reasons.
In the past year Curo has prevented 221 people and families from becoming homeless through these services.
Curo’s homelessness projects provide 139 units of temporary accommodation, from studios to flats and family homes.
72 people were supported to move on to settled accommodation.
31 young people going through difficulties at home have achieved positive outcomes through Curo mediation.
Our homelessness support services are calculated to be worth £2.9m in social value.

Find out more about our supported housing and temporary accommodation services here.

Homelessness stories: Christian

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:14:53 Z

Curo provides support and a safe place to live for people across the West of England, including in Weston-Super-Mare. Christian is living at one of our properties in the town and wrote this poem about his struggles with his wellbeing, and his optimism for the future. Now at college, Christian has secured a place on a degree course in event-management at Bristol University, so the future's looking bright.

Homelessness can affect anyone, any time, for a multitude of reasons.
In the past year Curo has prevented 221 people and families from becoming homeless through these services.
Curo’s homelessness projects provide 139 units of temporary accommodation, from studios to flats and family homes.
72 people were supported to move on to settled accommodation.
31 young people going through difficulties at home have achieved positive outcomes through Curo mediation.
Our homelessness support services are calculated to be worth £2.9m in social value.

Find out more about our supported housing and temporary accommodation services here.

Homelessness stories: Izzie

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:14:45 Z

Izzie describes how she came to the Curo Bath Foyer, having nowhere to go. The support she received there led to her getting a mental health diagnosis and professional help, transforming her relationship with her parents. Izzie now works for Curo, having joined us through our Work Wise scheme on an accredited work placement.

Homelessness can affect anyone, any time, for a multitude of reasons.
In the past year Curo has prevented 221 people and families from becoming homeless through these services.
Curo’s homelessness projects provide 139 units of temporary accommodation, from studios to flats and family homes.
72 people were supported to move on to settled accommodation.
31 young people going through difficulties at home have achieved positive outcomes through Curo mediation.
Our homelessness support services are calculated to be worth £2.9m in social value.

Find out more about our supported housing and temporary accommodation services here.

Homelessness stories: Josh

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:14:13 Z

Homelessness doesn't always mean someone's sleeping rough. Josh talks about how he came to be living at the Curo Bath Foyer, having been sofa-surfing - unable to stay in the family home. With support from Curo and our Work Wise team, he's now aiming to start a music degree at university.

Homelessness can affect anyone, any time, for a multitude of reasons.
In the past year Curo has prevented 221 people and families from becoming homeless through these services.
Curo’s homelessness projects provide 139 units of temporary accommodation, from studios to flats and family homes.
72 people were supported to move on to settled accommodation.
31 young people going through difficulties at home have achieved positive outcomes through Curo mediation.
Our homelessness support services are calculated to be worth £2.9m in social value.

Find out more about our supported housing and temporary accommodation services here.

Curo support services recognised in national award shortlisting

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:04:49 Z

Curo has been shortlisted in the Best Supported Housing Landlord category of the prestigious UK Housing Awards for the work we do to support more than 3,000 people each week to live healthy, happy and independent lives.

We provide supported accommodation across the West of England, working with homeless people, residents with mental and physical health needs, older customers and men and women who have experienced domestic violence.

Curo’s Building Independence Service Manager Sue Deedigan said: “We’re so pleased to be shortlisted for this important award. Our supported accommodation service changes lives. The key to the success of our services is that they are safe, good quality and designed around customer feedback. We work with peoples’ skills and talents and we know that small changes can make a big difference.”

Our supported housing for homeless people provides 139 studios, flats and family homes for people across the region. Last year Curo's support meant 221 people were prevented from becoming homeless and 100 people were helped to move on to live independently.

We also provided rehousing advice and help for 36 families, of which 27 were single-parent headed households - between them these families had 64 children.

What is 'supported housing'?

Supported housing is any housing scheme where housing, support and, sometimes, care services are provided as an integrated package.
Supported housing services include homelessness hostels, refuges, sheltered housing and long-term accommodation for people with ongoing support needs.

The UK Housing Awards recognise and reward the very best in the UK housing sector. The UK Housing Award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 7 May 2020.

Find out more about how we support people affected by homelessness at www.curo-group.co.uk/HomelessnessActionCuro

Tackling homelessness

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 10:01:32 Z

As a housing association Curo is best known for as a social landlord, letting around 12,000 affordable homes at low-cost rents across the South West. You might not know that Curo also provides over 130 properties for people facing homelessness. These range from self-contained studios for young people to apartments and family homes. Alongside providing a safe and stable place to stay, this accommodation includes specialist support to help people get back on their feet.

People come to us when they are often in a desperate situation. When they do, we’re here to provide not just shelter, but the support to get their lives back on track, to live independently and to succeed in life.

Curo’s homelessness support starts at the beginning, with a mediation service called Time to Talk that’s designed to prevent young people who are having a tough time at home from becoming homeless.

Time to Talk is the start of our pathway for any young person in B&NES at risk of homelessness. We work with young people and their parents or carers to help them either stay in the family home or move successfully to one of our supported housing projects. At the same time we work together at rebuilding their relationships with the family and, sometimes, return to the family home.

In Bath Curo provides supported accommodation at main three locations across the city, and in Weston-Super-Mare we provide supported housing for adults with a mental health diagnosis and for people aged 16+ who have been at risk of becoming homeless.

Our Pathways project in Bath provides supported accommodation for up to two years for young people aged 16-21 facing homelessness. Last year 13 people moved on to independent accommodation from Pathways; people who would otherwise have been homeless.

At Curo’s direct access homeless service, 17 studios and apartments are available for families and single people who face homelessness.

Curo’s direct access homeless service is for people assessed under housing regulations as homeless. The local authority has a duty to provide temporary accommodation and families can access the service through them. In the last year 61 single people and families were prevented from becoming street-homeless through this service.

The Bath Foyer offers more independent living for young people with low-level support for up to two years. The Foyer’s self-contained flats give young people the space to develop their independent living skills in a supported environment with opportunities to get involved in activities such as a regular Job Club with Curo’s Working Well team. People can access this service by being referred, for example by a social or health professional, or individuals can contact the service directly.

Working Well offers additional support to people across B&NES, helping to build confidence, independence and life skills. The focus is on supporting people into training, education, employment, volunteering and work placements. Alongside all this support, Curo offers specialist housing for people with learning difficulties, for teenage parents and for people fleeing domestic abuse.

Tackling homelessness:

In the past year Curo has prevented 221 people and families from becoming homeless through these services.
Curo’s homelessness projects provide 139 units of temporary accommodation, from studios to flats and family homes.
72 people were supported to move on to settled accommodation.
31 young people going through difficulties at home have achieved positive outcomes through Curo mediation.
Our homelessness support services are calculated to be worth £2.9m in social value.

A Roof Over My Head

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 12:28:47 Z

'A Roof Over My Head' is a new film, funded by St John’s Foundation and created by Meaningful Films, that shows the realities of homelessness and the life-changing work that is being done by local organisations including Curo to help.

Find out more about how we support people affected by homelessness here.