Nationally, and locally in West Sussex, the need for more permanent housing options exceeds the availability, which has resulted in a reliance on the provision of temporary accommodation (TA). Given this situation, the placement process for TA is often based on availability, rather than choice, which can be challenging.

In 2023-24 the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities awarded a grant to West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and 27 other local authorities to enhance support to people in accessing and maintaining more permanent housing to help them engage in specialist drug and/or alcohol treatment and sustain their recovery. This grant is part of the Government’s ten-year national strategy to reduce drug and alcohol harms and improve treatment and recovery services. As part of this work, WSCC Public Health commissioned CAPITAL, as a local lived experience organisation, to conduct focus groups with people to gather their views and experiences. The objectives in commissioning this report were to:

1. Understand people’s experience of TA, and the extent to which it assists or inhibits their ability to engage in specialist treatment and support and sustain their recovery, including their individual physical, social, and mental wellbeing.

2. Identify, from the perspective of people with lived experience, what ‘good’ looks like in terms of TA conditions and what additional support could benefit recovery

The findings of this report will help organisations across West Sussex to understand the risks and harms that drug and/or alcohol dependent people experience when living in TA, and how this impacts on their ability to access and engage in specialist treatment and sustain recovery. Recommendations will be outlined at the end for professionals, organisations, and commissioners to consider how support for them can be improved.

View the full report here: