Drug Interventions Programme

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Improving Practice in Housing for Drug Users - A Partnership Project

After completing a series of visits to local partnerships and projects (September 2007 to January 2008) the working group wanted to share the findings outlined in the practice paper.

The Home Office Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Ministry of Justice National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Housing Corporation, the Department of Health’s (DH) Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) for Substance Misuse have worked together with a national stakeholder group comprising of representatives from both housing and drug fields to identify practice and approaches that could inform and improve housing and housing related support for drug users.

Following a series of visits to local partnerships and projects between September 2007 and January 2008, the findings are outlined in the practice paper Improving Practice in Housing for Drug Users.

The main focus of this paper is a selection of 13 case studies offering examples of how housing, drug and mental health services have worked together to find sustainable and successful housing solutions for drug users. This paper is aimed primarily at informing and helping those involved in commissioning, planning and delivering:

• housing
• housing services
• related residential rehabilitation
• support services for drug users

It will also be of interest to anyone working with drug users with related housing needs through the criminal justice system, health and social care (hospital and community-based services) or those working with vulnerable groups.

By adopting such an approach, local areas can help prevent homelessness, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as helping service users tackle their drug use and improve their health and social well-being.

The paper also brings together supporting information such as relevant national strategies, policies and guidance, national, regional and local delivery structures.  

Read the Improving Practice in Housing for Drug Users paper here.

If you have any information/practice to share or want to know more about this work please contact the AfterCare team.