East Sussex Floating Support Service
The East Sussex Floating Support Service provides short-term housing-related floating support across East Sussex for vulnerable people, aged 16+, who require support to live independently.
What the Service provides
Our team of experienced staff provide flexible, personalised, short-term support including preventing homelessness, managing a tenancy, money management and accessing healthcare. Support will be provided in people’s own homes, via phone or video call, or in community venues.
We support people who are:
- At risk of losing their accommodation. This could include facing eviction because of landlord problems, being in rent or mortgage arrears, causing or experiencing anti-social behaviour, or being subject to domestic abuse, harassment or hate crimes
- Requiring support to sustain their accommodation and live independently. We provide short-term support to resolve housing-related issues such as home adaptations and daily living equipment, reducing energy bills, dealing with utilities arrears, or acquiring suitable white goods and furniture
- Living in temporary accommodation including hostels and bed and breakfasts who need support to access and maintain more sustainable accommodation
- Living in unsuitable accommodation or unsafe situations. For example, if the property is over-crowded, in disrepair or is unsafe, including where there is domestic abuse, or a property is causing a health condition to deteriorate
- Moving into new accommodation. We support people to find suitable accommodation, set up new tenancies and settle into a new home, with tasks such as setting up utilities, acquiring furniture and accessing local amenities and community support
We also signpost individuals and/or carers and family members to health and social care services, education, training and employment providers, and voluntary and community services that will assist with accessing and maintaining housing and living independently.
Eligibility
We welcome referrals for people who are resident in East Sussex, are aged 16 and over, are vulnerable and have support needs due to for example age, disadvantage, disability, substance misuse or ill health, and who are experiencing one or more of the following housing related issues:
- is losing or is at risk of losing their accommodation
- is living in temporary/emergency accommodation
- is living in unsuitable housing
- has no accommodation
- requires resettlement support
- requires support to maintain their independence or is at risk of losing their independence due to their housing situation
- requires support to move to accommodation that will better meet their needs
The Service is not available for people who: Â
- are street homeless
- are not ordinarily resident in East Sussex, including where people have been placed in temporary or other accommodation in East Sussex by another Local Authority
Accessing the Service
Residents aged 16-59
Residents aged 16-59 are required to be referred by one of the following organisations to be eligible for the Service:
- East Sussex County Council Adult Social Care (ASC) and Children’s Services
- Local Housing Authorities, including Rother District Council, Lewes and Eastbourne Councils, Wealden District Council and Hastings Borough Council
- Care for the Carers
- ASC commissioned Supported Accommodation Services
- The East Sussex Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
- The Department for Work and Pensions
- The Council’s Warm Home Check Service Provider
- Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust
- Health in Mind
- Citizens Advice Bureau (all branches in East Sussex)
- Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (HARC)
- Social Prescribers based at GP practices across East Sussex
- The Stroke Association
- Macmillan Counselling Service
- Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team
We are not able to accept self-referrals for people in this age group.
If you work for one of these services and wish to refer someone to us, please click here to fill in and submit a referral form. You will receive an emailed copy of your completed referral form.
Referred clients will be contacted within 2 working days of receipt of referral (or sooner if an urgent response is required).
If you do not work for a service listed above, please read the following information about where to obtain information about housing and or support needs:
- If you or your client has care and support needs or cares for someone who does, Health and Social Care Connect (HSCC) offers the public and professionals a single point of access for adult health and social care enquiries, assessments, services and referrals
- If you or your client has a child/children and their housing problems are placing the child/children at risk, contact the Single Point of Advice in Children’s Services
- If you or your client, including those with children (whether or not they have care and support needs) are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, contact the local Housing Options Team
Contact details of our main referral agencies:
- Eastbourne Borough Council  - 01323 410 000
- Lewes District Council - 01273 471 600
- Wealden District Council - 01323 443 322
- Hastings Borough Council - 01424 451 100
- Rother District Council - 01424 787 000
- Health and Social Care Connect - 0345 60 80 191
- Children’s Services - Single Point of Access - 01323 464 222
You can find out more about this service in our Information leaflet for those aged 16-59.
Referral enquiries e-mail: esfssreferrals@bht.org.uk
General enquiries telephone number: 01273 929394
Residents aged 60 and over
If you, or someone you know, is over 60 and in need of support with housing issues – from difficulties with debts and benefits, repairs, landlords and neighbours – to getting support to manage your mental health or substance misuse, you can apply for support.
Residents aged 60 and over can self-refer to the service or be referred by any individual or agency.
You can find out more about this service in our Information leaflet for those over 60 or call 0800 023 9380 (freephone) to refer yourself.
To refer an individual to this service, please click here to fill in and submit a referral form.
The person referred will be contacted within 2 working days of receipt of the referral (or sooner if an urgent response is required).
Contact Details
Referral e-mail: esfssreferrals@bht.org.uk
Telephone for general enquiries: 01273 929394
Telephone for self-referrals: 0800 023 9380 (freephone)
East Sussex County Council funding reductions
East Sussex County Council need to make savings of £55 million in the next financial year and BHT Sussex East Sussex Floating Support Service is facing a significant proposed funding reduction from October 2025.
This reduction would constitute 88.5% of the current service, with a funding cut of £4.5 million per annum to £500,000 per annum.
BHT Sussex have run the service for the past 3 years. In the past 12 months, the service has worked with 5,500 East Sussex residents, supporting single people and families who are facing a range of housing related issues. We support people who are at imminent risk of homelessness or who need to move to more secure accommodation, people who require support to remain in their current accommodation, people who need support regarding domestic abuse, harassment and hate crime, people who need to claim benefits that they are entitled to, and people who need to reduce debt that is putting their housing at risk.
The service receives referrals from a range of Statutory and Non-Statutory services across East Sussex. In the last 12 months:
- 5,497 people or households have been supported
- The total no. of people in these households was 10,399
- 1,287 of these households had children
- 1,116 people were 75 years old +
Consultation
This proposal is currently being consulted on. Clients, former clients, East Sussex residents, partner agencies, and service staff can respond to the proposal, and make their views known, via a consultation questionnaire. This is open until 28th November 2024.
The final decision on funding will be made by elected members in February 2025.
