Surviving the cuts and beyond Homeless Link

JOE KENT HOMELESS LINK [email protected] WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Homeless Link • National membership organisation for the homelessness sector

• We represent and support over 500 organisations working with homeless people in England

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Statutory Homeless Decisions No.

No. 300,000

300,000

250,000

250,000

Total Decisions 200,000

200,000

Declined 150,000

150,000

100,000

100,000

Accepted 50,000

0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Source: Department for Communities and Local Government WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

50,000

0

Triple Whammy • Reduced income • Rising costs • Growing demand

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

1,515 1,811(4.4%)

(

52)

Day centres Direct access hostels Second stage accommodation In England

8,500

fewer bed spaces

day centre users per day

41,449

2013

2012

39,638

Primary funding sources

£

Other 16%

Fundraising

£

7% 10%

Benefit payments

Supporting people

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

67%

47% of projects received reduced funding in 2013

Dependence on local authorities for primary funding (2011 data)

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Transitions can cause homelessness • • • • • • •

Reductions in income Families to separation Employment to unemployment Armed forces to civilian life Moving home Moving area From care to community

• Next phase is all about transitions . . . . . . . . .

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

POLICY CHANGES THE BIGGEST SHAKE UP SINCE 1945? UNDERSTANDING THE NEW WORLD ALICE EVANS HOMELESS LINK 18TH JUNE 2012

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

CURRENT CONTEXT HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE ACT

HOMELESSNESS

Cuts to LAs

Police & Crime Commissioners (Nov 2012)

Localism Act

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

WELFARE & HOUSING BENEFIT REFORM

Deringfencing of SP

Localism

Change Imperative • Going forward we must do things differently • Must change our processes, silos, boundaries • Need to improve partnerships, collaborative ways of working and cross sector thinking

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

A VISION TO END ROUGH SLEEPING – No Second Night Out • No one new to the streets should spend a second night out • No one should live on the streets • No one should return to the streets once they have been helped off them, and ultimately • No one should arrive on the streets.

Services must be available to support individuals at each stage of this journey

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Local Political Influencing • Who is Supporting People Now? (Homeless Link research) – Spending cuts being made at very top of organisation – Where do they get their information? – What do Chief Finance Officers think? • How to influence senior Councillors? – Ideas and solutions not protest – Business case / Ethical Case / Evidence

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

THE VALUE OF THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR

Critical Mass Research and evaluations

Homelessness organisation

Influence policy

Inform funders

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

What we’ve found out so far Data is incomplete and confusing

Developed Developed standard standard questions questions to to use use with with clients clients

Agencies aren’t making the most of their data

Simple Simple analysis analysis can can reveal reveal useful useful insights insights

It’s difficult to demonstrate outcomes

Developing toolkit to help measure client outcomes

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Prevention • Large number of people having incomes affected - will they become homeless? • How will we stop this? • Much harder to work with people in poverty who do not have a roof over their head • Joined up local social fund replacement • Discretionary Housing Payments • Food banks • Work more with tenants? • Evictions unacceptable? WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Health and Social Care - how can we help? • Will our current clients become your future clients? • Bedford Housing options clients • How can we help you to reduce the impact of vulnerable people on A&E services? – £10m hospital discharge health fund announced last week – Tariff on admissions to hospital wards from A&E • Health Audit Toolkit to engage with Health and Well Being Boards • Bed and Breakfast costs in Social Services

WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK

Resources •

Homeless Transition Fund Small grants programme www.homeless.org.uk/fund

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Resources Health Influencing Portal • www.homeless.org.uk/influencing-health Health Needs Audit • Free resource to map and evidence health needs of homeless people JSNA guidance • Outlines practical steps for engagement Welfare Reform Portal • www.homeless.org.uk/Welfare_Reform_2012-13 Safer Future Communities Project (Clinks) • Helping VCS prepare for PCCs http://www.clinks.org/services/sfc Critical Mass – Data analysis resources • http://homeless.org.uk/cmtoolkit WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK