Homeless Link's places of change work in the English regions

Homeless Link receives funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to work on the "places of change" agenda. The programme of activity that we have agreed with CLG is based on its identification of homelessness - and in particular hostel provision - as a priority service area. It is closely linked to the CLG`s Places of Change Programme, which involves an investment of £70million for capital improvements to hostels. Together, these two strands of activity represent an opportunity to help hostels promote independence, build routes back to training and employment and develop their capacity to deliver an excellent service.

The aim of Homeless Link's regional development work is to make hostels Places of Change. A September 2006 article in Connect describes this work. Read about the CLG Places of Change Programme

For Homeless Link the funding means an exciting opportunity to focus on helping agencies develop their services and will enable us to deliver on a long term goal of a worker based in each English region.

Homeless Link’s regional staff will:

• be based within the regions and able to respond to regional priorities
• work flexibly alongside existing structures
• act as a gateway to knowledge, resources and influence
• identify opportunities and resources
• disseminate existing good practice
• encourage agencies to make links and to learn from each other.

Although the priority is hostel provision, the work will inevitably mean linking up with those agencies who refer service users into hostels – or who provide day-time activities that hostel residents access. We hope that member agencies will be able to benefit from contact with their regional worker whether or not they have hostel provision.

Key strands of activity are:

• encouraging access to activities that enable people to move on with their lives
• increasing partnership working
• ensuring positive outcomes from hostel use.

Meet the team.