News & Media

• Funding for Christmas meals - Help the aged are offering financial support to organistions offering older people a hot meal.
• Housing drug users - ODPM, Home Office and NTA take joint action on housing and support for drug misusers.
• Paying in kind - Young people in B&Bs are being targetted for sexual exploitation by landlords.

Policy & Research

• Call for service user involvement in alcohol policy - Influence government policy through new Alcohol Concern service user network.
• Health and homelessness - St Mungo's research finds that 2 in 3 rough sleepers have physical health problems.
• Housing benefit pathfinders - DWP and Shelter find reduction in landlords renting to benefit claimants in pilot areas.
• The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Tackling Homelessness - Report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
• Transitions: Young Adults with Complex Needs - SEU report into supporting young people including tackling youth homelessness.

Events & Training

Events

• Employability Seminar - by invitation only. Further details see events page.
• Service User Involvement - day event to focus on SUI in the North East. For further details see events page.

Other Providers

• Homeless World Cup 2006 - the first trials to find the 2006 football team take place in Manchester in January 06. For further details contact Stephen McLuckie at the Big Issue in the north. Download the application form or poster.

• Managing Anti-Social Behaviour: the Challenge for Housing & Support Providers - SITRA Conference, 14 December 2005 York.

Training

• Homeless Link - due to popular demand we are currently looking to arrange in-house training in the region. For full details visit our regional training page.

Other Providers

• SITRA regional training - scroll down the page for North East region training, including Financial Management for Housing with Support 10, 17, 24 and 31 January 2006 in York.

Resources

• BBC RaW - BBC's largest ever adult literacy campaign with focus on entertainment.

• Homelessness Monitoring Service - this service is currently being used across Durham. For further details contact Richard Oughton, Centrepoint.
• Introduction to UK health services - Leaflets in 36 languages explaining the NHS to new arrivals.

• Maegis Training & Support - can provide 75-100% funded training places to people in receipt of housing benefit or job seekers allowance. Courses range from ICT skills to business management and administration. Contact support@maegis.com.
• Preventing meningitis - Information about the disease and campaigns to combat it from the NHS.

Homeless Link Minisite

• TB and Homelessness - visit Homeless Link's TB-minisite, for information on what TB is and why homeless people are more vulnerable to the disease.

Homeless Link Briefing

• Flu contingency planning - Briefing on measures to deal with pandemic flu in the UK.

Funding & Awards

• Funding Sources - listing of potential funders in the North East.
• Adult Learning Grants - up to £30 a week (means tested) for 19-30 year olds in full time education, studying towards a first level 2 or level 3 qualification. Currently in pilot in County Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne & Wear Learning & Skills Council areas.
• Arts Council England - North East - funding can be awarded to individuals or organisations.
• Groundswell Grants Scheme - provides grants for projects that are run by homeless and ex-homeless people.
• Learn For Free Awards - grants of up to £ 5,000 to fund learning activities in County Durham. Administered through County Durham Foundation.
• Sport England - North East - sets out their priorities for funding in the North East.