THE new provider of homeless services in Cheshire West and Chester has revealed an overview of the service it will offer from Sunday (April 1).

But a lack of detailed information and clear communication about ForViva’s plans has sparked concern among a number of charities and providers in the city.

It is still not known how many accommodation units, beds or emergency ‘safe seats’ will be provided across the borough or where they will be based.

Nor are there any details on day services or a day centre for Chester – a facility recently flagged up as crucial by the likes of Chester Aid to the Homeless (CATH) and Share Shop.

Under the brand of ‘forfutures’, ForViva Group has signed a 10-year contract with Cheshire West and Chester Council worth around £23 million.

Currently, homelessness support services are provided by Foundation Enterprises North West (FENW); housing related support for over 25s comes from Stonham Home Group; support for under 25s is by Forum Housing; and P3 looks after the floating support service.

Under the new model ForViva will be responsible for all four spokes with staff under the existing contracts transferring over to deliver the new service.

Company bosses have stressed their model “will continue to support those who are at risk of being homeless, those without secure accommodation or ‘sofa surfing’, and people sleeping rough”.

It will provide “both temporary and permanent accommodation across the area, while the outreach service team will continue to engage with rough sleepers and work in partnership with the voluntary sector and statutory services”.

They have resolved to keep Richmond Court open for up to a month due to the unseasonable cold weather. The facility, on Spital Walk, Boughton, has been offering 36 accommodation units and 10 direct access 'safe seats' for rough sleepers to use at night.

It is understood that the service users accommodated at Richmond Court are being transferred to the new units but it is unclear if this process has been completed.

It is also rumoured that the new emergency ‘safe seats’ will be based in Blacon but this has not been confirmed.

In a statement to The Standard, Janet Lawton, Strategic Homeless Lead for forfutures, said: “Over the past six months our team has worked closely with Cheshire West and Chester Council, the existing service providers and partners to ensure as smooth a transition as possible in April.

“We have the opportunity to refresh the approach to supporting those who are amongst the most vulnerable in society and will be working with staff, customers and partners to make improvements to the current services.

“The service delivered by forfutures will bring a fresh approach to homeless support in the borough including increasing the support available to people to prevent them becoming homeless.”

However, this newspaper has been told by several current service providers in the city that they have received little contact from ForViva.

They have also said they have no knowledge of proposed bed numbers, points of contact or whether there will be contractual day services.

City-based charity Share said in a statement: “We have heard a couple of things in the original planning stage but are waiting for a formal announcement from the new service provider forfutures to see if they are coming to fruition or not.”

In response, ForViva has said there will be ‘advice and information hubs’ acting as a first point of contact for homeless people, or those in fear of becoming homeless, in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford. These will provide “immediate support”.

However, just two of these – on Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, and Wyvern House, Winsford – will be up and running at the launch of the service. The hubs in Chester and Northwich will be open “soon”. All are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.

The outreach team will continue to engage with rough sleepers and offer emergency accommodation, the company says.

In terms of day services, it states: “forfutures' approach will be flexible including morning and evening activities – access to breakfast, shower, daytime activities and support to access temporary accommodation”.

The specifics of the day services and their locations are not yet known.

The focus of the temporary accommodation will be on a larger number of smaller units that will offer “flexible admission times, managed and monitored procedures and guaranteed staffing on site 24/7.” The aim will be to move people into permanent accommodation.

There will also be a focus on preventing homelessness with a mediation service on hand to support families and landlords.

The locations of the new accommodation units have not yet been communicated to the press, public or indeed a number of service providers this newspaper has spoken to.

Possible sites listed previously include: Milestones in Chester; Wyvern House, Winsford; Crispin House, Chester; The Lymes, Northwich; McGarva Way, Ellesmere Port; and council properties including the Greyhound Stadium in Ellesmere Port.

CWaC hopes to save £250,000 a year by bringing the four spokes of homelessness services provision under one contract. The annual bill is expected to fall from £2.6 million to £2.35 million.