A bit of background
Last spring, Local Solutions asked Capacity for help to explore the feasibility of an idea – to develop a series of high street community hubs where people could access their services, with accommodation for homelessness services attached. This idea intended to tackle a number of interconnected issues including the need for community partnership spaces, place-based coordination and suitable accommodation for young people using their homelessness services.
We were able to provide bespoke support to the Local Solutions team through our Social Climbers programme, which is is all about supporting social enterprises and charities to amplify the impact of their work, building solutions to the big challenges being faced by public services across the Liverpool City Region.
What we did
The team had been thinking about this idea for a while. While they had developed a potential solution to the challenges at hand, they were uncertain if this was the best way to solve them. With that in mind, we started off supporting Local Solutions to work through this uncertainty. Back in April we met with the team to facilitate a workshop, with the aim of getting clear on the overarching vision and aims of the project.
We spent a great deal of time in this session working through an interactive Theory of Change exercise, working backwards from the intended impact, mapping outcomes and thinking about what activities would lead to them. This process enabled us to check and challenge the team’s assumptions, bringing more clarity to their ambitions.
Refining the ‘ask’
Based on our discussions with the team, we heard that this space needs to be more than just a building, it needs to be a hub for raising aspirations and empowering people local people. This space would be a gathering place for the whole community, strengthening connections and facilitating relationship building.
Once we had more of an idea about what the team wanted to achieve, we set about building a picture of the need for the services delivered, accommodation requirements and the local property and housing market by undertaking some desktop research. We explored the effectiveness of early intervention strategies, neighbourhood models and identified examples of best practice nationally.
Alongside all this, we made sure we stayed connected with the Local Solutions team, checking in regularly to ask questions, review and develop the initial idea. This allowed us to effectively respond to a shifting brief as the team became more clear on what the requirements of the hub would be.
Exploring the feasibility
All this work led to the production of a detailed feasibility review of ‘community hubs for everyone’ with linked accommodation for young people. This report explored two potential options for making Local Solutions’ vision a reality:
- Anchor hubs: Based on Local Solutions’ initial idea to develop a series of hubs with residential accommodation attached.
- Core and cluster: An alternative to anchor hubs, consisting of a ‘core’ hub and smaller, decentralised units for accommodation.
We also provided an options appraisal, SWOT analysis and detailed financial modelling for each recommendation, as well as recommendations on next steps and food for future thinking.
What’s next for Local Solutions?
Based on our final report, Local Solutions are now in the process of reviewing the work and making plans based on our recommendations. We’re excited to continue working with Local Solutions in the future and are looking forward to seeing their plans come to fruition.
