On Wednesday 25 March, organisations from across Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley came together in Wolverhampton for a Street Support West Midlands networking event, in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The focus of the morning was to connect organisations, share experience, and strengthen how work across the region supports the prevention of homelessness.
A shared starting point
The morning opened with reflections from Matt Lambert of Street Support Network.
He introduced the idea of homelessness prevention through the lens of relationships and social capital. Drawing on the analogy of restoring a habitat, he described how outcomes improve when the conditions around people are strengthened, not only when individuals in crisis are supported.
He spoke about the importance of relationships in preventing homelessness. In many situations, it is not systems that prevent crisis first, but people. A friend, a volunteer, or a worker who notices change, offers support, and stays present.
He described four conditions that often exist when people remain stable during periods of difficulty: consistent presence, safety, belonging, and boundaries. These are often found in families, communities, and trusted local networks.
“If you want to save a species,
you have to restore the habitat.”
When these relationships are in place, people are more likely to remain stable. When they are absent or break down, the risk of homelessness increases.
This understanding of prevention, grounded in relationships, shaped the rest of the morning.
What prevention looks like in practice
Lisa from Bluuprint Communities shared the development of Lucy’s Pantry in Walsall.
The pantry provides access to affordable food within a community setting. It has developed into a space where people return regularly, build familiarity, and feel comfortable over time.
Through these relationships, wider needs often become visible. People attending the pantry may be experiencing financial hardship, debt, housing instability, or isolation. These issues are often interconnected.
Lisa described how the team identify early signs of risk through regular contact and conversation. Simple patterns, such as increased frequency of visits or changes in behaviour, can indicate that someone may be struggling.
The pantry model allows space for these conversations to happen naturally. Support is offered in a way that respects dignity, including a membership model and a shop-style layout.
Partnership working is central to the approach. Other organisations are invited into the space to provide specialist support, including advice on housing, finances, and wellbeing.
This allows early conversations and connections into other forms of support. This work shows how relationships create the conditions for prevention before crisis develops.
Working alongside people through crisis
Velena Brown from P3 Wolverhampton outlined the range of support provided across outreach, accommodation, and tenancy sustainment.
She described the Navigator service as a central access point where people can seek advice, return for support, and be connected to other services. This includes people who are currently homeless, at risk of homelessness, or already in accommodation but struggling to maintain it.
Her contribution focused on the realities of day-to-day work. Building trust can take time. Engagement is not always consistent. Progress can move forward and back.
She shared examples of outreach work, where staff engage with people sleeping rough over extended periods. In some cases, it can take months before someone feels able to accept support. Consistent contact and a non-judgemental approach are key to building that trust.
P3’s approach includes trauma-informed and psychologically informed practice. This supports staff to understand behaviour in the context of past experiences and to respond in a way that is patient and person-centred.
Support is most effective when it is steady and responsive to individual need. This includes advocacy, helping people navigate systems, and working in partnership with other organisations to find suitable accommodation and ongoing support.
This consistency builds trust over time, which supports people to remain engaged and reduces the risk of repeated crisis.
Linking local work to national strategy
Claire and Jacob from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shared an overview of the Government’s homelessness strategy.
They described how the strategy takes a broader view of homelessness, beyond rough sleeping, and includes families, individuals, and those at risk of losing their housing. The strategy sets out long-term, medium-term, and immediate priorities, including reducing long-term rough sleeping and improving temporary accommodation for families.
A key focus is prevention. This includes identifying risk earlier, responding to individual need, and reducing reliance on crisis-led responses.
They also emphasised the importance of designing support around the person. This means understanding individual circumstances and responding flexibly, rather than expecting people to fit into fixed service models.
They highlighted the role of voluntary, faith, and community organisations within this approach. Many people seek support through these organisations before approaching statutory services. These organisations are often embedded in communities, with established relationships and regular contact with people who may be at risk.
They also shared information about new funding opportunities aimed at supporting community-based provision, day services, and ongoing support after crisis.
Partnership working across local authorities, charities, and community organisations is central to how the strategy is intended to be delivered.
Street Support West Midlands
The session also included a demonstration of the refreshed Street Support West Midlands website.
The platform supports people to find local help through clear, accessible information. It also supports organisations and members of the public to contribute, including through volunteering, donations, and sharing information.
The Virtual Assistant helps guide people to relevant support. Its effectiveness depends on the accuracy of information held within each organisation’s listing, which makes regular updates important.
Moving forward
The event created space for organisations to introduce their work, identify shared challenges, and begin conversations about collaboration.
Several practical actions were identified:
- maintaining accurate and up-to-date listings on Street Support West Midlands
- following up with organisations to strengthen referral pathways
- sharing current needs through the Give Help function
- understanding how different services connect across the Positive Pathway
The morning reflected the depth of experience across the region and the role of local relationships in preventing homelessness.
Strengthening these relationships across organisations and communities is central to prevention.