What it's all about

Meaningful occupation - giving homeless people something purposeful to do - was recognised as effective in Coming in from the Cold, the Social Exclusion Unit's 1999 Rough Sleeping strategy and was one of its key proposals for change. The paper set out three main aims:

• building self-esteem
• developing skills
• reconnecting people into social networks away from the streets.

Another important issue is preventing the boredom that may lead people to turn back to the streets, or to alcohol or drugs.

Although the ultimate aim for many people will be paid employment, for others pre-vocational lifeskills training and confidence-building activities are important in the short term. There is rarely a clear dividing line between meaningful occupation and education, training and employment activities. See also our briefing on employment and employability

Both accommodation providers and day centres can provide meaningful occupation and activities. These are key issues for Homeless Link's regional development work which is working to make hostels places of change, by encouraging hostels to provide activities and helping them put people in touch with other projects providing daytime activity. The ideas set out in this briefing are informed by the expertise and experience of our staff, particularly our regional managers across the country.

Meaningful occupation and activities can be just as vital when homeless people have been rehoused in their own accommodation, when isolation and boredom can be most acute.

The best projects...

Happen where there is a commitment from staff who believe that activity makes a difference to people's lives and where it is seen as a core aspect of the hostel's work.

Have something for everyone

The Booth Centre in Manchester has an outstanding record of meaningful occupation activities including conservation work, IT, art, warehouse skills, volunteering and part time work opportunities.

Solas-Cymru's Compass Project in Newport includes a fully equipped recording studio, an arts studio, drama and creative writing groups, a woodwork department, a ceramic workshop, IT facilities and a catering department. Sessions such as sport activities and basic skills are also organised by external agencies.

A route to paid work or an end in itself?

Different projects put the emphasis in different places, but the important thing is to engage with somebody in a positive activity that may in turn lead them to address their difficulties and move back towards independence. Building confidence and getting people into a routine are important in themselves.

The best projects tend to have different activities for people depending on what stage they are at, so that there are activities for people with chaotic lifestyles, where the activity is the end itself, and activities that are a route to work for those who have fewer difficulties.

Are activities best provided by hostels or by specialist organisations?

Often what works best is a partnership between the two. Accommodation providers have the understanding of support needs and the chaotic lives of their residents but don't necessarily have the expertise in a particular area of activity.

Some larger organisations like Novas, St Mungo's and Thames Reach have well developed, activity, lifeskills and employment projects. Crisis, which does not provide accommodation apart from its Open Christmas, provides a range of activities at its Skylight project.

Linking hostels with activity providers from both inside and outside the homelessness sector is a central part of Homeless Link's regional development work.

Specific Groups

Below are some ideas about what works best for specific groups. But these are only ideas; be flexible and don't stereotype people.

There are not necessarily very great differences between what men and women can benefit from. Projects have found that both like doing things such as art, jewellery making or gardening. Computer based courses and DJ classes are often popular with men, as are construction skills, art, music and sport. Drama is often a popular activity for women.

For people with limited mobility, gardening, for example something that can be done sitting down such as planting in window boxes, can be popular.

Often what works best with people a history of drug or alcohol abuse is something that takes people out of their environment and its distractions. Thamesreach's Farm and Conservation Project in London, gives residents - many of whom have alcohol problems - the opportunity to work on an organic farm in the Sussex countryside. They get up early, are focused and sober for a day (alcohol is not allowed on the farm), work as part of a team, achieve things and have fun. Other suggested activities for this group are art and music; activities that are short and not too structured can work well.

Exercise and energetic activity are often popular with young people, as are drama and music. Also popular is learning new skills, such as IT, web site design, cooking, and college link courses. Accreditation and certification can particularly important in helping young people feel that they have achieved something who may have had a poor experience of education.

Older people are less likely to want activities where they learn new skills, particularly employment-related skills, although these may still be relevant. In 2004, Help the Aged published a report, Journeys out of Loneliness: the views of older homeless people, which has a chapter on meaningful occupation. This found that for many older people it is important to be able to use the skills that they already have.

Do's and Dont's