Image: Istock
CASE STUDY
From TA to a settled future – supporting families
Riversideʼs Sefton Families Service is using a housing-led approach to end the cycle of homelessness
INNOVATION & IMPROVEMENT
David Robinson
Assistant Director of Operations, Riverside
David Robinson
Assistant Director of Operations, Riverside
Issue 83 | April 2026
The following case study was developed through our work with the Temporary Accommodation Network (TAN). It highlights how Riverside, in partnership with Sefton Borough Council, is supporting families living in temporary accommodation to access and sustain stable homes. It demonstrates how a housing-led, person-centred approach can help families break cycles of homelessness and build more secure, independent futures.
The Sefton Families Service currently supports 11 families and the delivery model is informed by learning from Housing First. It offers two or three-bedroom furnished family homes to households in TA with a history of failed tenancies, as well as strengths-based person-centred support to end the cycle of homelessness, empowering them to independence.
Since the Sefton Families Service launched in 2019:
- The service has supported 73 families
- 62 families have left the service with 53 transferring to a tenancy within Riverside
- The remainder had various reasons for leaving the service, such as moving in with family and friends or other supported accommodation
- This equates to 85% successfully transferring to a social housing tenancy with Riverside.
85% of families supported by the Sefton Families Service have successfully transitioned to a social housing tenancy
How it works
Families with children of all ages living in the properties receive support at least weekly from Riverside’s Specialist Support Worker (SSW) to help them sustain their tenancy and support with other needs they may have. This can include benefits, debt, rent arrears, health, domestic abuse, hate crime, anti-social behaviour and getting back into work or education and training.
Crucially, a housing-led approach means the home someone is given is not conditional on the way in which they engage in support. It is a secure and stable base where SSWs help a formerly homeless person and their family to rebuild their lives. Initially offered a supported protected licence, after 12 months families transition to a regular social housing tenancy in the same property with Riverside. This helps people to break the cycle of constantly moving home and provides motivation to build long-term relationships rather than living with the worry that they will be moved elsewhere.
This short film about the Sefton Families Service shows how the service works from the perspective of a customer, the council, and those working in the service.
Extending the service
Since its launch, the scheme’s coordinated approach has meant more efficient use of the council and its partners’ services. By bringing housing and homelessness together it has been calculated that the initial pilot:
- generated a saving of £24,394 per family per annum
- delivered £3.36 of benefit for every £1 spent
The service was recommissioned in 2024, to deliver nine homes per year, for five years.
In addition to the property-based service, a new Sefton Families Floating Support service was established in Autumn 2025. This service differs in that the families can already be in temporary accommodation or may be at risk of losing their homes.
This innovative service has supported 34 families since September 2025 and currently supports 10 families.
The Floating Support Service provides housing-related support, including with:
- obtaining funding
- accessing Property Pool Plus (Choice Based Lettings service in Merseyside)
- maximising income
- liaising with landlords
- engaging with the Housing Options team.
In addition, the service provides much-needed support to families moving on to more suitable accommodation and resettling them once they obtain a property.
saving generated per family per annum by the Sefton Families Service
number of homes the service is commissioned to deliver per year for five years
families helped by new Sefton Families Floating Support service since its launch in September 2025
Sefton Families Service customer stories (names have been changed)
Michael’s story
Michael, his wife and three children moved into a Sefton Family Service home in November 2024, after living in TA in Sefton for three months. They had never had their own tenancy before and required a lot of support.
The property was decorated and furnished by the service and Riverside also accessed funding so they could purchase extra bedroom items for the children. The children were out of school, due to moving from another area, and the SSW helped with securing places in a local school and liaised with Sefton Welfare Officers to access uniforms for them. The SSW works closely with a benefit advisor from the Citizens Advice Bureau, who checked their benefit entitlement, and helped to maximise their income by applying for extra qualifying benefits.
The SSW helped to resettle the family into the area by giving information of local amenities and activities for the children. They now attend football and other sports clubs and have made new friends.
The family have been working towards tenancy sustainment and engaged very well with the service. They have demonstrated they can manage utilities and maintain a property.
This has resulted in them successfully transferring over to their own unsupported tenancy, a real success story.
Laura’s story
Laura was referred to the Sefton Families Service in July 2025 while she was living in TA. The SSW started supporting her by accessing funding to help the family buy items they needed and placing weekly bids on Property Pool Plus (Choice Based Lettings service).
Once Laura had received her offer and moved into her Riverside property, the SSW was able to arrange a furniture package, access Argos vouchers and funding for moving costs, and helped to set up utility bills, council tax and to apply to Universal Credit for housing costs. Through a local network the SSW was even able to source a three-piece suite for the family.
The SSW attended the Child Service Review, following which the family was discharged from services and has successfully settled into their new home. Laura is no longer engaged with Sefton Families Service; however, the SSW remains available to support the Riverside Housing Officer as required.
