What was Changing Futures Sussex?
The Changing Futures programme is a £77 million joint initiative by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund has invested over £21 million, adding to the £55 million of Government funding, extending the length of the programme to help local partnerships develop longer term and more effective support for those in need.
The programme in Sussex ends on 30 June 2026 and was part of phase 1 of the national programme. The second phase, from April 2026, is a new 3-year £55.8 million investment that will target 18 of the most deprived areas of the country (not including Sussex). You can read more about the second phase HERE.
The aim of the programme is to create an environment where individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage can receive flexible, trauma informed, person-centred support when they need it, leading to increased periods of stability and more opportunities to make positive changes in their lives.
Changing Futures Sussex
Sussex was awarded a Changing Futures grant of £4.45M in July 2021 to improve the way that local systems and services work for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage.
Definition of Multiple Disadvantage:
Multiple disadvantage or multiple complex/compound needs (MCN) is defined by the national CF programme as people who experience three or more of: homelessness, current or historical offending, substance misuse, domestic abuse, and mental ill health.
The Sussex programme focusses on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable people who repeatedly fall through the net, working alongside people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage, to achieve positive changes in services, to make them better connected, and easier to access.
To achieve this we were embedded and are part of the three Sussex Local Authority Areas:
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We aimed to make an impact on the individual, service & system level
Individual
Individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage receive flexible, trauma informed, person-centred support when they need it which leads to more periods of stability and more opportunities to make positive changes in their lives.
Service
Local services operate a ‘no wrong door’ and better coordinated support to stabilise and then improve outcomes for local cohorts of adults experiencing multiple disadvantages therefore reducing demand on ‘reactive’ services.
System
Effective multi-agency partnerships, strong governance, data sharing agreements and better use of data shapes future commissioning. Common system goals agreed to improve responses for those experiencing multiple disadvantage and deliver better value for money and values-based accountability.