The Issues

Lifeskills are the skills that many people take for granted, like managing money, shopping, cooking, running a home and maintaining social networks. They are essential for living independently. Some homeless people do not have all of these skills, either because they never acquired them or because they lost them through extended periods of homelessness. Helping homeless people acquire these skills can be a key part of helping them move on from homelessness and are a key part of the resettlement process.

Resources

• The It's Your Move website is produced by Broadway to support sustainable living and maintenance of tenancies. It contains a series of free resources including training modules on pre-tenancy, managing a tenancy, money management and independent living skills.
• The Amber Foundation has produced Practical Housing Units - a comprehensive package of 10 individually accredited (AQA) units. These units can help students of all abilities to achieve sustainable independence and have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to maintain a tenancy, live a safe and healthy lifestyle and achieve financial stability.

See the overview, breakdown of units and costs for more information.

• In 2005 DEMOS published a report on lifeskills and employability: What role can life skills play in helping homeless people prepare for employment?

• In 2001, the Centre for Housing Policy at York University published Life Skills Training for Homeless People: a review of the evidence for Scottish Homes.

• Whitechapel Mission in London has a Lifeskills Centre