Agenda item

The Services within Young People’s Supported Pathway aim to provide a pathway to independence for young people at risk of homelessness and care leavers, helping them build the skills necessary for independent living.

The Council had undertaken competitive procurement process for the recommissioning of Housing Related Support – Young People’s Supported Pathway. The services were tendered into four separate lots: Lot 1 (Generic visiting support); Lot 2 (Unaccompanied Asylum- Seeking Children); Lot 3 (Young Women’s Service) and Lot 4 (Housing First for Care leavers)

The report detailed the outcome of the procurement process and sought approval to award contracts to the successful tenderers for Lot 1, 2 and 4. Details including names of suppliers and costs submitted by each tenderer were outlined under Appendix 1 – Part B (exempt information) of the report.

Subject to approval, the contracts shall be awarded for a period of four (4) years, commencing from 1st September 2025 with an option to extend for a further period, or periods, of up to a total of three (3) years in accordance with the terms of the contract.

The cost of the contracts for the initial term of 4 years is £ 865,714, and the total aggregated value over the full duration of 7 years is £ 1,515,000 (figures exclusive of VAT).

The split between probation and general fund was half-half. This was very good value for money.  

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1. To approve, in accordance with Contract Standing Orders, the award of contracts for the provision of Housing Related Support Services, Young People’s Supported Housing Pathway to the successful tenderers as outlined in Appendix 1 - Part B (exempt information) of this report, for a period of 4 years commencing from 1st September 2025 with an option to extend for a further period/ periods of up to 3 years. The cost of contracts across the three Lots for the initial period of 4 years is £844,924 (exclusive of VAT) and the total aggregated total value for the full duration of 7 years is £1,478,617, if fully extended (exclusive of VAT) 3.2.

2. To note that no suitable bids received for Lot 3 (Young Women’s Service) and a separate procurement process may be carried out to recommission this service subject to availability of funding.

Reasons for decision

Changes to the Homelessness Reduction Act (2018) and the Children and Social Work Act (2017) which extended local authorities’ duties to care leavers up to their 25th birthday subsequently placed greater pressure on the Council in respect of an increased duty toward accommodating Young People within the borough.

Existing contract expiry and no extension available: The existing contracts under Housing Related Support - Young People’s Supported Housing expire on 31st August 2025 and there was no further provision to extend the contract.

Procurement process carried out: The Council had carried out a competitive procurement process and identified successful tenderers to be awarded contracts as outlined Appendix 1 Part B exempt information. Failure to award new contracts would lead to service disruption, putting vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness.

The tender process had ensured that the Council secures high-quality, cost- effective services that meet statutory obligations under the Housing Act 1996, Children Act 1989, and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Awarding these contracts will contribute to the Council’s Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy and Corporate Delivery Plan objectives by preventing youth homelessness and promoting social inclusion and independence.

Need for the service: Given the rising levels of homelessness among young people and the multiple disadvantages they face, there is a critical need to maintain specialist Young People provision in Haringey. Young people are disproportionately affected by family rejection, mental health challenges, discrimination, and an increased risk of exploitation and abuse. Without dedicated accommodation and support, they face significantly poorer outcomes, including long-term homelessness, unemployment, and severe mental health crises.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing – The option to do nothing was considered and rejected as was found not to be viable due to following reasons:

 Discontinuing these services would lead to a Young Person losing their supported housing tenancy. In this event, in order to meet their statutory obligations, Young Adults Service would be required to provide placements to care leavers who are accommodated with the Unaccompanied Asylum- Seeking Children and Housing First services. This was not cost effective as would cost the council an additional £50,928 per young person on average per annum.

 The Young Peoples Pathway of provision supports vulnerable Haringey residents some who require a high level of intensive support to sustain their tenancies. While delivering this service is not a statutory requirement for the Housing Related Support team, it relieves pressure on other departments in fulfilling their statutory duties.

Deliver the services in-house - Following an assessment of feasibility, it is recommended that an outsourced model would be most advantageous for the council. This is due to reasons outline below:

a) The Council could meet the requirement for 46 units within the required timescales. Renovation of Council buildings was explored but found unsuitable due to their potential use for other specialisms (e.g., Learning Disabilities, Older People). Additionally, renovation completion would not align with the tender process timeline. Future planning may explore this route for sourcing accommodation for the Young People’s pathway.

b) If this pathway provision were to be delivered by the council, the costs attributed to staffing, building lease agreements and housing management responsibilities for an additional 46 units of accommodation is more than the available Young People Pathway budget envelope.