The Accommodation Rescue Service

Description

The council was awarded an initial Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) revenue grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) following a successful bid for £4,145,139 across three years (2022-2025) to deliver a number of interventions to people rough sleeping in Liverpool and this required a Procurement exercise to award contracts to deliver those interventions. On 17 October 2023, Cabinet approved contract awards in respect of the RSI 22-25 programme following a compliant procurement process. However, the Accommodation Rescue Service was not recommended for award, as there were no bids of a suitable quality for this contract. In April 2024, the Delegated Authority Approval (ADCS 05 24) was given to issue a Direct Award of a contract to The Whitechapel Centre to deliver the Accommodation Rescue Service from 1st April 2024 up to 31st October 2025. This is in line with the wider Rough Sleeper Initiative Programme 22-25 interventions delivered by The Whitechapel Centre and would meet the ongoing gap in support for people who have accommodation but may continue to sleep rough in Liverpool. The service requires a provider with a level of specialist expertise of working not only with rough sleepers but those who sleep rough when they have a safe accommodation solution to return to. The Whitechapel Centre has that experience and delivers similar specialist services in respect of Assertive Outreach and other provision within the Rough Sleeper Initiative Programme. The market has been tested via a competitive tender process which resulted in no suitable bids. As there has not been an Accommodation Rescue Service for some months, the Whitechapel Centres Outreach Teams have by default, been left to support those individuals during their daily activity, but without the additional staffing that would enable them to devote sufficient time to this area of work. Delivering an Accommodation Rescue Service would align to the aims and objectives of the Assertive Outreach and the wider RSI Programme of Interventions delivered by this provider. The provider is a specialist provider with the skills and expertise of working with this cohort of rough sleepers. The provider has confirmed its ability and wishes to deliver the Accommodation Rescue Service and recruit the required staff to deliver the support. Therefore, on advice of Procurement, the DAR approved that a contract be issued via a Direct Award for the period up to 31st October 2025.