Accommodation for Work

Photo of 'Getting Ready for Work' event
Overcoming unemployment can be a big challenge, particularly if you are homeless.

BHT Sussex’s Accommodation for Work project aims to help homeless people off the streets and into employment and independent accommodation. It is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Working with people who feel they are ready to make a positive change and move their lives forward, the project offers temporary shared accommodation and support with work and learning. The project is for single adults aged 18-65 with a local connection to Brighton & Hove.

Each resident has a keyworker, who works with them to develop an individual employment plan which focuses on skills, training requirements and employment goals. Residents use their time at the project to engage in paid or voluntary work, training courses, or work placements.

I was always a bit scared to go into shared accommodation, because I’ve always lived on my own, but it’s actually been really good, it’s helped me socialise and keep going, learning from different people’s backgrounds and how they’ve coped helps you cope.

Accessing the Service

Referrals can be made by keyworkers or via Brighton & Hove City Council’s Housing Options Team on 01273 294400, or BHT Sussex Advice on 01273 645400. Please contact us on 01273 645440 if you have any questions about the process or wish to discuss a referral.

Having somewhere stable to live really helps as well as support if things do go wrong. I think I would have given up without it.

Benefits Calculator

The Accommodation for Work project created the Getting Ready for Work Calculator to provide a simple tool for hostel residents to see how work impacts on their benefits and rent. There are other benefit calculators which can be quite complicated and require a lot of information, and we wanted ours to be simple and aimed exclusively at hostel residents who claim Housing Benefit for their rent.

*This calculator is only a tool and should not be the sole basis for decision-making.

Getting Ready for Work

The Accommodation for Work Project organises the twice-yearly Getting Ready for Work event, which brings together clients and keyworkers of homeless services with work and learning providers in the city.

We have compiled a Getting Ready for Work Directory, which provides details of the providers that we work with for these events. You can find this directory at the link below.

We also run a Getting Ready for Work Helpline, which is open to anyone living in a hostel or temporary accommodation who has questions about benefits and work. You can call this helpline on 01273 645436 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).

Getting Ready for Work Directory

Contact Details

01273 645440

afw@bht.org.uk

BHT Case Studies

Zehra

Maintaining employment whilst being insecurely housed is difficult and can have a negative impact on someone’s mental wellbeing. Our Accommodation for Work project was set up to help people like Zehra, who came to us whilst in emergency accommodation. Zehra was forced to leave her family home due to her mother’s health issues and difficult dynamics in their relationship. Facing homelessness, she was placed into emergency accommodation before coming to the Accommodation for Work’s temporary shared accommodation. Whilst this was happening, she was still working part-time as a support worker in a mental health hospital. Zehra found the job difficult … Read more

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Jacqui

There can be many factors that build up to cause someone to be insecurely housed. For Jacqui, the loss of her job and the breakdown of her marriage led her to become a member of the ‘hidden homeless’ population, as she was sofa surfing. This is when she sought the help of the Accommodation for Work project at BHT Sussex. Jacqui first came to the project following her separation from her ex-husband. He retained the family home to look after their children as he was not working. After moving out, Jacqui stayed on her mother’s sofa and worked part time. … Read more

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Enes

Increasingly we are working with people who are in work or who become homeless having lost their job. Our Accommodation for Work Project was set up to help people like Enes. He worked as a chef and lived in shared accommodation in Brighton. When the job came to an end, he struggled to find another job. His landlord would not accept housing benefit and he quickly became homeless.

He slept rough in doorways, struggling to find work and accommodation. He made a homeless application with the council and was referred to our Accommodation for Work Project. This was the first time in his life that Enes had been homeless. When he came for his interview, it was clear that he was in a state of shock. Mindful that he was rough sleeping, project staff made it possible for him to view a room the same day. Fortunately for Enes, a room had become vacant just the day before.

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Arwa

Homelessness is never part of anyone’s life plan and can completely derail the career path someone is on. Our Accommodation for Work project helps people whose lives have been derailed by homelessness access independent accommodation, employment and education. Arwa came to the project as an 18-year-old with the goal of becoming a dentist. However, domestic violence caused her to become homeless, and forced her to leave her dentistry apprenticeship. This is her story. Arwa lived in on the outskirts of London with her family but began experiencing domestic violence due to cultural and religious issues, which caused the relationship with … Read more

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