Exeter-based homelessness service victorious in national Excellence Awards
Published: 11 July 2023
An Exeter-based homelessness service has won a coveted national award for its work in helping to support rough sleepers in the city.
The Exeter Navigator Team, which is part of Exeter City Council’s Rough Sleeper Initiative, won the award for Excellence in support and navigation at Homeless Link’s national Excellence Awards 2023.
Cllr Martin Pearce, Lead Councillor for Communities and Homeless Prevention, praised the Exeter team for all their hard work in helping build back lives in the city.
“I am so proud of the team for their selfless dedication towards supporting others in the city. To have won this award is testament to hours of hard work and support that goes in to helping people who have become homeless rebuild their lives.”
Homeless Link is the national membership charity for frontline homelessness organisations in England, and its annual awards recognise the innovative and impactful work happening across the sector to support people experiencing homelessness in England.
The Exeter Navigator Team works to create hope for individuals in their potential for recovery. The Team won the award for Excellence in support and navigation, for its commitment to a trauma-informed, person-centred model of practice which provides a long-term support offer to men and women experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage.
The Team is relentlessly focussed on system change to improve opportunities for individuals to access support which corresponds to their needs and circumstances at the time of asking.
An eight-strong judging panel with a variety of expertise and perspectives, including lived-experience of homelessness, commended the organisation for its trauma-informed and inclusive approach, its preparedness to offer flexible support pathways and its strong multi-agency working.
Rob Fenwick, Navigator Strategic Lead, said: “We are obviously delighted to have won this award and would like to pay tribute to our service users who have shaped us into the team we have become.”
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, said: “The Exeter Navigator Team has a hugely positive impact on its local community, supporting people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantages to leave homelessness behind and achieve recovery in other areas of their lives. We congratulate them on receiving this award.
“Homeless Link’s Excellence Awards highlight the innovative, impactful and tireless work happening across the country to ensure that people have a place to call home and the support they need to keep it. This year, as homelessness organisations navigate soaring demand and cuts to funding, it feels more important than ever to recognise these efforts.”