Journeys home: an end to rough sleeping

Ten years after the Government set the aim to reduce rough sleeping to as close to zero as possible we felt that it was time to take stock, to analyse and celebrate the progress made and to look to the future with new focus and drive.

As part of our campaign to end homelessness, we are calling for an end to rough sleeping by 2012. To achieve this we know there will need to be really effective prevention, as well as clear pathways through services and on to independence.

This year’s annual conference focused on ending rough sleeping, bringing together nearly 300 representatives from all of the key stakeholders - chief executives, senior managers and frontline workers from within homelessness services, representatives from local authorities, housing associations and from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

We would like to thank very warmly our main conference partner, Midland Heart, who sponsored the two-day event and Sanctuary Housing, who also supported the event.

Jenny Edwards, Homeless Link’s Chief Executive was offered the opportunity to promote the theme of the conference on a live broadcast with BBC Radio Birmingham and to thank Midland Heart for their involvement in the conference.

Please click here to view the conference programme

Plenary Sessions

We were pleased to welcome the newly appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Iain Wright MP, who opened the conference for us and spoke passionately about helping homeless and disadvantaged people.

The theme of the panel session was to look at the progress we have made, to reflect on our learning and to start to think about what needs to come next.

We were also honoured to hear from Elaine Elkington, Strategic Director for Housing at Birmingham City Council and Richard Clark OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Midland Heart. To view their presentations in full please here: Elaine Elkington or Richard Clark OBE.

To end day 1, Homeless Link’s chair Simon Wilson hosted a very popular sofa session, which allowed the audience to hear from Lisa Barker, Deputy Director, Homelessness and Housing Management Programme Division of the CLG, Peter Chapman, Chief Executive & Director of Development of Shekinah Mission, Dominic Williamson, Director of Policy, Practice & Campaigns, Homeless Link and two young service users, Stephanie and Marvin, from Focus Futures, all of whom have significant experience of the homelessness sector and were able to give their views on how it has changed over the last 10 years and what still needs to happen to better address rough sleeping. This gave a more human element to the conference topic and allowed an individual perspective to be expressed as well as one focused on the sector. To find out more about the members of this session please click here To read notes that were taken during this sofa session please click here

Alistair Burt MP, Shadow Minister for Communities, Local Government and Regeneration, opened the plenary session on day 2 and gave his party’s perspective on homelessness, emphasising the importance of the issue and that more needs to be done to protect the most vulnerable groups. His presentation can be viewed here: Alistair Burt MP.

We were also pleased to welcome Julia Farrington and Priti Butler as part of this panel session. Julia spoke on behalf of Index Arts about the crucial role of involvement in the arts in building people’s self esteem and stabilising chaotic lifestyles as individuals become aware of their own voice and their potential. Priti, of the Big Life Group, spoke of the need to address the problems, barriers and disconnections that cause homelessness over long periods of time and that services need to adapt as society changes. She also expressed the view that no single solution exists to end homelessness but that services need to be tailored to the individual. To read notes that were taken during this morning plenary session please click here

What we’re taking home…

The conference was brought to a close with an open mike session looking at the key questions the audience felt they should be taking away with them, these being:

• Are we providing quality services?
• Are we really listening to service users before we develop services?
• Should there be service users within the CLG?
• How are we using the arts to recognise individual dignity, and do we allow people the space for it to happen?
• What can we do about services not accepting dogs leaving some people to still sleep rough?
• How can we ensure we listen more to young people?
• How do we best meet the needs of older homeless people?
• How do we ensure the correct support is in place to enable enforcement to work positively?
• Are we doing enough to enable people to move on?
• What different services do distinct groups of rough sleepers need to meet their different needs?

To read notes that were taken during this closing session please click here

Workshop Sessions

21 different workshops and mini-plenary sessions ran over the two days covering a wide range of themes, promoting local projects, sharing good practice and enabling networking across the sector.

“A lively and engaging presentation”

“Great presentation, took a lot of useful ideas to use practically.”

“Great to know so many people in the sector have a comprehensive knowledge of so many of the problems resulting in rough sleeping. Gives hope to effecting real change for those who are so vulnerable.”

Homeless Link and the US-based National Alliance to End Homelessness’ annual conferences join forces

On the evening before the conference a group of delegates from Journeys home: an end to rough sleeping linked up via video with a group of delegates from the National Alliance to End Homelessness annual conference in the US. Both organisations share the goal of wanting to end homelessness and used this link to discuss the role of their respective governments and of the business sector in ending homelessness and to look at what changes they have seen in the past 5 years and what the biggest challenge is that still faces them.