In a core and cluster model (aka ‘hub and spoke’), a staffed hostel or high-dependency unit provides on-going support for a number of ‘satellite’ houses or flats for people of a similar client group, needing less intense support, from the staff team. Continuity, accessibility and community are the key features of these models.
The residents of the cluster of satellite units – who may or may not necessarily be former residents at the hostel – are seen as full members of the on-going community ( in contrast to move on or half way houses, where residents are expected to be leaving the community eventually.) The term ‘core and cluster’, and the model itself, originated in services for people with learning difficulties in Canada. As with the Clubhouse, it is used for client groups with a high degree of on-going vulnerability, needing a sense of security and immediate support when at risk. (See also ‘Keyring’, ‘dispersed housing’).
The Clubhouse model typically mixes some overnight or short-medium-stay accommodation in the same building as a day service that operates as a self help community, to offer highly flexible levels of support to its members. The clubhouse originated in the US, primarily for people with alcohol or other substance abuse issues, and therefore at high risk of relapse and benefitting especially from peer support and opportunities for active and practical recovery.
See for example, ‘Wodehouse Eaves: dismantling the leaving care crisis’ : HERE