Nearly 30 housing and homelessness sector professionals from across Europe and as far afield as Australia and Russia are visiting the Liverpool City Region, as they complete a three-day “train the trainer” course in the pioneering Housing First approach to tackling homelessness.

The training, hosted by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and delivered by Housing First European Hub accredited trainers, including Amanda Bloxsome, the Combined Authority’s Housing First Best Practice and Partnership Lead, will enable the trainees to go back to their home countries and train others to deliver the Housing First approach.

Liverpool City Region is one of just three places in England piloting Housing First, which aims to tackle homelessness in a new way, based on international evidence.

The approach involves providing an ordinary, settled home as the first response for people with multiple and complex needs beyond housing, offering individualised support with issues such as addictions, mental and physical health issues and the effects of trauma and abuse.

The attendees on the course will go on to complete further blocs of training in Sweden, Spain and Finland, over the next year, before they are fully qualified.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, welcomed the trainees to the city region yesterday, on the first day of their course.

This first phase of the Liverpool City Region pilot involves staff working to provide homes and individualised support to 60 homeless people across the Liverpool City Region. At this point, staff are working with 58 clients of whom 20 are already in properties.

More information about Housing First at a national level is available at the Housing First England website:  https://hfe.homeless.org.uk/