For the fourth challenge, the contestants were headed south to the first ever challenge to take place on an island.
The Isle of Wight is both a perfect holiday and retirement location. However demand for holiday cottages and retirement homes has presented Isle of Wight Council (IWC) with an immense challenge - a severe shortage of affordable homes, consequently creating a homelessness crisis and a need to increase access to temporary accommodation. Contestants were therefore tasked with devising strategies and innovative ways to help the council deliver its vision of becoming an inspiring place to live, work and visit.
Through intense research, contestants spoke to a range of stakeholders who work towards mitigating all aspects of homelessness, including housing and homeless officers from the IWC and representatives from charities such as Age UK. The teams visited three registered housing providers to speak about the challenges and opportunities they face in supporting their service users. Speaking face-to-face with homeless people also brought into focus the less publicised realities for many local people. The real complexities of the challenge the two teams had been set.
Written papers were submitted to the panel of judges. Team Ignite presented ‘Turning Tides’ - a transformational programme focused on prevention and response. Overseen by a Partnership Board which would include representation from people with current/past experience of homelessness, they proposed an app allowing the community to donate unwanted items/money to a centralised fund and vulnerable people to seek items they needed. Composed of two strands, the team proposed converting existing vacant council properties into an emergency accommodation hub, and a programme of intergenerational living allowing older people and “empty nesters” to offer spare rooms to a homeless person or family in return for support around the house and companionship.
Team Thrive presented their #daringtocare strategy, seeking to reframe homelessness as relevant to everyone and encouraging IoW residents to assist finding solutions. Their Opening Doors programme would encourage residents to offer space in their homes, in return for annual council tax reductions. They also proposed using modified shipping containers to provide low cost temporary and emergency accommodation and single occupancy homes for vulnerable communities.
The judges withdrew to deliberate and to reflect on the outcome of a complex challenge. The final results were not unanimous, but team Thrive’s more daring approach won them the fourth challenge.