Annual Conference 2011

The sector is about to change, whether we are ready for it or not.

13 JULY 2011 | THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

The annual event for the sector

Conference programme             Seminars in more detail            

Changes to commissioning, new funding challenges, proposed reform of the way health needs are met, to name a few - all will have a huge impact on the services you run. But are you ready for it? Are you prepared for the inevitable threats and opportunities? Now is the time to find out.

This practical one-day event helped delegates to understand the new 'localism' landscape, to plan approaches to working within it and to help them identify who they need to engage to acheive change. It started with an overview of localism and its relevance to their work. It then went on to explore the threats and opportunities that the changes may create and what all of this means in practice.

Homelessness is a local issue. If we are to continue to support homeless people and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, we need to gain the support of the local communities, politicians and services. The conference explored how you can continue to end homelessness locally, by looking at how to:

• prevent further homelessness in the UK
• reduce re-offending locally
• improve the health of homeless people under the new structure
• reduce unemployment locally for your clients
• work together to address multiple exclusion
• offer a personalised service
• influence your local councillors and council to ensure support for your service
• set up a sports project in your local area in preperation for the Homeless Games in 2012
• work within the decentralised landscape by understanding what it means for us
• best support street drinkers to make positive change
• generate support from your local community
• end rough sleeping locally.

View the conference programme in full here.

What the event offered:

• friendly, informal learning environment
• networking opportunities with other experts in your field
• chance to share and hear good practice models and innovative ideas
• an understanding of what localism is and how it affects homelessness agencies and Local Authorities: both the threats and opportunities
• advice on how to work within the localism agenda to reduce homelessness
• an understanding of how to make homelessness a local issue
• a debate: no second night out: understanding how to prevent rough sleepers from making the streets their home
• sense of belonging to a community committed to ending homelessness.

Venue

The University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Road
Coventry
CV4 7AL

T: 024 7652 3222  |     W: www.warwick.ac.uk

The university is located approximately 3 miles outside of Coventry city centre and is easily accessible by both road and rail. The M1, M6, M40 and M42 are all nearby as is Coventry train station. Birmingham International Airport is also only a 30 minute drive away.

Conference queries

If you have any queries, please contact us on:
020 7840 4461
events@homelesslink.org.uk

Join the homelessness community.