Two Sefton services that help people avoid homelessness in have been shortlisted in the 2024 Northern Housing Awards.

Sefton Council’s Housing Options Team have been shortlisted in the Northern Housing Team of the Year category.

Housing Options is there for anyone in Sefton who has nowhere to stay, for whom going home would put them at risk, or who is facing homeless in the near future. They will carry out a homelessness assessment and provide housing options for people who get in touch. They also provide a free confidential service on a wide range of housing issues.

The Northern Housing Awards shortlisting describes the Housing Options team as ‘dynamic and forward thinking service that supports the most vulnerable Sefton residents to access safe and affordable accommodation’. It says the team is ‘responsive and accessible to the community it supports; a safety net for those who have nowhere else to go’.

A hospital in-reach service at Southport and Ormskirk NHS Hospital Trust has also been shortlisted in the Best Initiative for Tackling Homelessness. Run by charity Light for Life in partnership with Sefton Council, it involves health and accommodation staff working side-by-side to support vulnerable people being discharged from hospital.

First held in 2018, the Northern Housing Awards aim to recognise innovative housing schemes and services across the North.

Sefton Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson said:
“Housing and homelessness was one of the issues frequently mentioned during the run-up to the recent local elections, including the problem of no fault evictions which unfortunately the Government has still failed to tackle.

“It’s great therefore, to see the work these two important services are carrying out to help people in Sefton facing homelessness recognised by being shortlisted in the Northern Housing Awards.”

The Northern Housing Awards ceremony will be held in Manchester, on Thursday, 23rd May.

Anyone in Sefton who has nowhere to stay, who feels it is unsafe for them to return to their home or who will be homeless within the next 56 days, can contact the Housing Options team at housing.options@sefton.gov.uk or by calling them on n 0151 934 3541.

People can find more details about what the team can do for people facing homelessness at www.sefton.gov.uk/homeless.