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
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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
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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
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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