P5719 Enhanced Rough Sleeping Outreach Service (EROS

The main objective of the project is to deliver a street outreach service to rough sleepers to fulfil the council's aims of reducing and preventing rough sleeping in Tower Hamlets. The council is committed to reducing and ultimately ending rough sleeping and this is included in our strategic and operational commitments as outlined in the council's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018 -2023.

The contract includes a specialist rough sleeping outreach team (TH SORT) that aims to ensure no rough sleeper spends a second night on the street, no one remains living on the street, and rough sleepers who have been accommodated do not return to rough sleeping. The service will require : • Support all rough sleepers who bed down on the streets of Tower Hamlets (400-500 annually) to exit the street and take up appropriate accommodation. • Provide a core outreach service that responds to Streetlink referrals, conducts early morning and late-night shifts 7 days a week, provides an assessment/ support planning/casework approach, conducts welfare checks on rough sleepers and makes safeguarding referrals as necessary. • Deliver a client-centred, trauma-informed service that can maintain trusting relationships with rough sleepers who have complex needs and challenging behaviours. • Have expertise to work effectively with a range of cohorts within the rough sleeping population, e.g. complex women who are involved in prostitution, non-UK nationals. • Provide an In-Reach service to ensure rough sleepers experience a smooth transition from the street into hostel accommodation and re-engage with former rough sleepers who are at risk of eviction or abandonment from hostel accommodation.

The contract value will consist on a Core element with a value of £426,000 per annum. However, the core services may be complemented by adding to the core element other homelessness workstreams that support the council's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018 -2023.

These additional workstreams will only be added to the contract by way of variation as and when the funding is secured by the Council through participation on Central Government grant bidding process. The appointed provider is expected to work jointly with the Council to secure such funds.

Although the Council has been successful on securing additional funds in the past, there is no guarantee this will happen in the future. The funding for the EROS contract is provided to the Council year on year basis by the government via grant funding, bidders should note that if the government stop or reduce the funding it may affect the ability to continue with this contract.

The bidders should note that the Council published a Prior Information notice with the intention to reduce the time limits for receipt of tenders once the OJEU contract notice is published. The reason for this is to have the contract in place in line with the grant application.

TUPE is applicable to this contract. Additional information: The contract value will consist on a Core element with a value of £426,000 per annum.

However, the core services may be complemented by adding to the core element other homelessness workstreams that support the council's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018 -2023. These additional workstreams will only be added to the contract by way of variation as and when the funding is secured by the Council through participation on Central Government grant bidding process.

The appointed provider is expected to work jointly with the Council to secure such funds. Although the Council has been successful on securing additional funds in the past, there is no guarantee this will happen in the future.

The funding for the EROS contract is provided to the Council year on year basis by the government via grant funding, bidders should note that if the government stop or reduce the funding it may affect the ability to continue with this contract. There is TUPE applicable to this contract. Please refer to the Invitation to Tender document for further information.