West London Rough Sleeping - Somewhere Safe to Stay (SSTS) & Assessment Hub

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on behalf of the West London Housing subregion, and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are seeking a suitable building (or buildings) and a support provider to deliver two distinct services for people with support needs who are experiencing rough sleeping and/or who are at risk of rough sleeping. The services will provide immediate access to accommodation to; enable housing and support needs assessments; provide intensive support to rapidly access a suitable onward housing option; and help link people into relevant support services to meet their needs.

The Authority is interested in engaging with suppliers who can provide the building requirement, the support requirement, or an integrated solution delivering both.

Service A (West London)- short term (28 days) ‘somewhere safe to stay’ accommodation for people with low support needs to prevent rough sleeping for even a single night, or assist people out of rough sleeping.

Service B (LBHF) – Short term rough sleeping assessment hub for people in Hammersmith & Fulham experiencing rough sleeping, including those with complex support needs.

The requirements are as follows:

Building

• Provision of a suitable building or buildings with relevant permissions for use as supported accommodation. The building(s) must:
• Have 40 units for single occupation and be located within a West London borough (Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Brent, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow or Harrow).
• The units could be split over two locations, although each building should be equally sized e.g. 20 units in each or closely matched.
• If the units are split over more than one building, one building should be located within the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham with ideally 10-20 units.
• Have shared facilities preferred though not essential due to intended short length of stay.
• Be fully compliant with relevant health and safety standards, finished to a high standard, furnished, and ready for occupation and full service delivery from April 2027.
• Reception facility with CCTV and office space for (24-hour) staff.
• Meeting rooms for case work / one to one meetings and provision for external partners to enable in-reach support.

Support

• The support provider must be experienced in delivering assessment and support to people with a history of homelessness or rough sleeping including those with high, complex support needs.
• Ability to undertake rapid assessment of referrals for immediate occupation. The services will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, meaning that referrals can be made and people accommodated without the concerns of additional risk, and that “out of hours” referrals and assessments can be taken.