As the only specialist treatment provider that holds registered housing provider status, we have unique insight into the challenges faced by those with substance dependency and housing issues.
Our recovery housing provision is well-established and consists of six stages:
- Progress House for individuals who are actively using drugs and alcohol and are contemplating change;
- Residential treatment services for people who wish to stop using drugs or alcohol;
- Housing – for individuals who have achieved abstinence but require additional guidance to build on treatment gains and maintain a drug and alcohol-free life in the community;
- Recovery housing – a peer and self-supported environment for those who have achieved abstinence and feel they would benefit from living in a shared environment for longer with others who have had similar experiences;
- Independent living – self-contained, secure accommodation for people with a history of drug and alcohol use provided by a landlord who understands recovery.
People can progress through the different stages of the pathway consecutively or access the type of housing that is most appropriate to their needs at any point in time. We work with commissioners and funders to adapt the capacity of each element of the pathway to meet local need.
OHID official statistics (2022 to 2023) demonstrate the severe need for effective specialist housing solutions for people using drugs and alcohol:
- 8.5% of people across all substance used categories started treatment at risk of homelessness in the next 8 weeks
- 16.2% of people with an opiate treatment need started treatment at risk of homelessness in the next 8 weeks
- 24.4% of people using NPs present as at risk of homelessness in the next 8 weeks
On the road to better health, food and shelter are the first steps. Those individuals in housing need who are able to access treatment will find it difficult to maintain any gains made if their priority is to find somewhere safe to sleep in a month, a week, or even tonight. This renders treatment ineffective and costs society.
With our advice and guidance, people living in Phoenix accommodation are able to make long-term changes that lead to improved health and wellbeing, and which afford them the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to the communities in which they live. People using our services deliver hundreds of hours of voluntary work to their local communities each year through a range of projects run by the organisation, equipping them with the skills and experience that will give them a firm foundation for the future.
"Phoenix's Recovery Housing helped me become the person that I always wanted to be! The CBT groups gave me the most valuable foundation to maintain my recovery. Knatchbull Road is a place I always feel safe and comfortable with myself, a house full of encouragement and respect.
It's the happiest I've been in years."
Resident of Phoenix Recovery Housing, London