Honeycomb Group launches new accommodation scheme for LGBTQ+ people impacted by homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent

A new supported accommodation scheme for LGBTQ+ people who have faced homelessness and complex needs is now open in Stoke.

Concrete, our homelessness specialist, launched Phoenix Support Hub, their dedicated LGBTQ+ service last year.

The hub includes a helpline which continues to deliver tailored support for people struggling with sexuality and gender issues, alongside homelessness and complex needs. Since its launch in April 2023, the hub has supported over 50 local people with advice, housing support and guidance from volunteers with lived experience.

Last summer, with support from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Honeycomb Group secured funding from the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative to expand Phoenix and appoint an LGBTQ+ Caseworker to provide tailored support to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are, or have been, homeless. This includes housing advice and options, advocacy and more, with the ultimate goal of securing a safe and secure place to live.

Now Phoenix has developed further to include an accommodation scheme at a property in Stoke. The scheme will provide a home for three Phoenix customers, with en-suite rooms, communal spaces and on-site support available from the LGBTQ+ Caseworker.

Concrete Operations Manager Dean Marsh heads up Phoenix. He said: “Phoenix House is the next step for our LGBTQ+ support services at Concrete. We know from our own work, our volunteers with lived experience and national sector research that this kind of accommodation is desperately needed. No one should be rejected or forced to leave their home because of who they are, or who they love, but sadly this is something we are seeing more and more of.

“More support is needed, including in our local area, to help the LGBTQ+ community, especially those who have faced homelessness and other complex needs. I feel very proud to be part of it and this is just the beginning.”

Stonewall research shows almost ‘1 in 5 LGBT people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives’[1] and according to AKT, ‘77% of LGBTQ+ young people gave “family rejection, abuse or being asked to leave home’’ as a cause of their homelessness’.[2]

Honeycomb Group’s Director of Support and Wellbeing, Melanie Dunn, added: “As a Group we are incredibly proud to see Concrete leading the way in providing important and much-needed tailored support for LGBTQ+ people facing homelessness.

“While there are lots of specific services for the LGBTQ+ community and those experiencing homelessness and complex needs separately, there’s less combined support for individuals experiencing both simultaneously. Phoenix House is the next chapter in Concrete’s LGBTQ+ support and we can’t wait to see the impact that it has on local people.”

Click here to find out more about Phoenix.

[1] https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_-_trans_report_final.pdf

[2] https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/about-lgbtqplus-homelessness/