HLG

HLG Services - Drug Support Team

Aims

To bridge the gap between homeless people who misuse drugs and treatment services and improve both treatment and accommodation outcomes for homeless people.

What the team offer:

• A holistic assessment of drug use and related housing issues/need.

• Advice on harm minimisation - range of treatment options.Links to health services including G.P.'s, structured drug treatment services and Health Team for homeless people.

• Continuity of support through a person's progression through stages of treatment and housing.

• Crisis work with people at risk of being excluded from current accommodation due to substance misuse.

• Support to projects to enable them to house/more successfully house people who misuse drugs.Liaison with a range of agencies.

• Co-ordination of care to ensure that people receive the best possible service in addressing their substance misuse difficulties and resolving their housing needs.

How we work:

• The Drug Support Team provides a flexible outreach service across Nottingham City's Homelessnes sector.

• We will do our best to meet service users at a venue that they feel most comfortable with.

• Service users will be allocated a key worker - this will normally be the same person that assessed them.

• In most cases, service users will have the same worker throughout the period of their treatment.

• We work in a non-judgemental way and recognise that the process of change will be different for each individual.

• We will work at the service users pace and be led by their treatment aims and priorities.

• One to one work will be led by a mutually agreed care plan, which will be reviewed and amended regularly, in line with the service user's aims and achievements.

Referral procedure:

• Referrals can be made by phone on 0115 9565313.

• We will accept self-referrals or referrals from workers.

• Please ensure that the referral has been discussed wit the service user.

• Service users can access the team at one of our drop-ins, they can have already been referred or just turn up.

• Ideally referrals should be able to provide name, D.O.B., reason for referral and the best place to meet/find person.

• DST aim to make contact with the individual within 48 hours.

• We will offer a face to face assessment to every person referred.

• If DST is not a suitable service for them the team will endeavour to engage them with a more appropriate agency.