Update

Making Every Adult Matter, 2 December 2008, London

Many government departments work to support people who have complex and multiple needs and who engage with a variety of voluntary sector provision. Often these clients fall just under the threshold for services and do not fit easily into conventional treatment patterns.

This event will launch an important new coalition to focus attention on this group. Hosted by Homeless Link, Clinks, DrugScope and Mind, it will mark the beginning of a new campaign to achieve positive change by influencing policy making and public debate.

Communities and Local Government on Digital Inclusion

Communities and Local Government has released for consultation, an action plan on delivering digital inclusion , which suggests that digital technologies can help address homelessness. Alongside this, the Understanding Digital Exclusion Report highlights how digital technology has been used to improve information management and services for homeless people, such as Broadway's CHAIN database, which homelessness workers in London can use to find background information about their clients and link rough sleepers with available services. An additional Community Perspectives on Digital Inclusion Report suggests that the advantages of digital technology for homeless people include:

• Practical tools: banking, job searches, accommodation searches
• Contacts: using email to keep in touch with friends and family
• Developing skills: gaining accredited qualifications to help them access jobs
• Self-esteem: being able to use a PC and surf the internet can increase confidence

We are aware that ICT facilities and training can help people who are experiencing homelessness gain employment and move on with their lives. Together with ICT Hub we have recently conducted a project to support homelessness agencies' use of ICT .

Communities and Local Government on The Empowerment Fund

Communities and Local Government has released details of the Empowerment Fund , as outlined in the recent Empowerment White Paper.

The prospectus states that: 'the purpose of the Empowerment Fund is to give financial assistance to eligible third sector organisations which in a variety of ways are empowering people and their local communities.' Homelessness organisations across the country work to empower some of the most socially excluded people within society.

We submitted a response to the consultation on the development of this prospectus, and are pleased to note that the prospectus now states that the fund will: 'provide additional weighting to those organisations working to empower excluded communities, who are often less empowered than the population at large.'

Hot Topic

The government has published a new rough sleeping strategy which commits to ending rough sleeping by 2012. The 15-point action plan, No One Left Out; Communities Ending Rough Sleeping highlights the need for action, advice and assistance across England to prevent the flow of people onto the streets, as well as to support those already rough sleeping to move away from the streets. The plan suggests that a joined-up and comprehensive approach across government and a new shared sense of urgency and commitment to ending rough sleeping will be key to future success. Actions include bringing together a London Delivery Board comprising of senior officials from all the relevant government departments.

Homeless Link is delighted that the strategy commits to ending rough sleeping by 2012. This was part of our response to the consultation on the strategy and our wider work on this issue. We recently produced a leaflet highlighting the 10 key things that need to happen to end rough sleeping by the time of the Olympics.

All government departments have a role to play in achieving this ambition and we will continue to work with representatives of all departments on this issue.

Sign up to End Homelessness Here

Update

We recently invited Homeless Link members to participate in an online survey, which asked about their experiences of the commissioning process, and what evidence they could provide on these issues.

The results showed mixedd experiences across the sector. Members were mainly positive about their experiences of forming consortium bids and the increased focus on outcomes. However, experiences relating to application timescales and the knowledge and expertise of commissioners in public bodies were reported as mainly negative.

The report is now available on our website.

London Housing Strategy

The Mayor of London has released his draft London Housing Strategy This will now pass to the Greater London Assembly and the Mayor's Functional Bodies for consultation. A period of public consultation will follow in the spring before the document is submitted to the Secretary of State and published in late 2009.

The strategy includes the commitment that 'rough sleeping should be ended by 2012 and the number of rough sleepers experiencing the "revolving door" of homelessness should be reduced'. The report highlights that there are an estimated 250 rough sleepers in London on any given night, half of the national total.

We know that if the ambition to end rough sleeping by the 2012 Olympics is to be successful, all boroughs of London need to be working together towards this goal. We welcome this commitment within the new housing strategy.

Update

Homeless Link has responded to the DWP Green Paper No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility. While broadly supportive of the underlying concept of ‘more support, more responsibility’ we believe that if the reforms outlined in the Green Paper are to succeed, the DWP must place greater emphasis on the extra support that is needed for those furthest from the labour market and ensure that increased conditionality on welfare does not lead to homelessness.

In our response we provided a map of the many services, funded from across government and the voluntary sector, which help homeless people into work. We also identified three things that the DWP should do to help those furthest from the labour market:

• Lead the development of a consensus across government departments to work together to provide the web of personalised support services that some homeless people need to return to work and make these services available for the time it takes people to complete their journey to employment.
• Ensure that this support is of the appropriate quality and quantity, especially where it links directly to proposals in this Green Paper(i.e. drug treatment services)
• Ensure that increased conditionality on welfare does not lead to homelessness, prevent people accessing other important support services, or otherwise impede positive progress, regardless of the length of an individual’s journey.

You can read the full response on our consultations page

Department for Work and Pensions on Employment Support Allowance

On 27th October 2008, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Income Support (on grounds of incapacity) were replaced by the new Employment Support Allowance (ESA) .

The majority of people claiming Employment and Support Allowance will be required to attend work-focused interviews with a personal adviser in preparation for a return to work. A smaller proportion of people who have very severe illness or disability will get increased financial support and will not be expected to attend such interviews.

We welcome this increased support to help people back into work. We hope however that this support will be tailored to each individual and linked up with other support services. Personal circumstances that may make it difficult to attend appointments, for example homelessness, need to be taken into account before sanctions for non-compliance are applied. It is also vital that the assessment process is robust and individuals are included within the appropriate support group.

The Work Foundation on jobs, unemployment and the recession

The Work Foundation has released a new report entitled Hard Labour: Jobs, unemployment and the recession , which recommends various national policy responses related to employment in the current economic climate.

The report suggests that the government needs to expand JobcentrePlus or accelerate the involvement of private sector and voluntary providers to ensure that the increase in claimants does not dilute the quality of job-search support. It also suggests that the provision of training and further education may be especially suitable for dealing with the immediate consequences of industrial closures. The report includes a recommendation that the government should improve the supply of social housing, both through building programmes that would increase employment, and through buying homes that private developers are currently unable to sell.

The limited supply of social housing is a key barrier that can prevent homeless people moving on into independent living. Our Move-On Plans Protocol is designed to help local authorities and service providers address local factors preventing effective move-on for homeless people. The protocol is based around local partnership; a move-on audit; the development of a move-on action plan; and regular analysis of progress and results.

Home Office on the prevalence of opiate use and/or crack cocaine use

The Home Office has released a research report on national and regional estimates of the prevalence of opiate and/or crack cocaine use in 2006/07

The report suggests that overall in 2006/07 there were an estimated 328,767 users of opiates and/or crack cocaine in England; this corresponds to 9.76 per thousand of the population aged 15–64. It states that the national prevalence estimates for problem drug use have remained stable across the last three years and that there has been a decrease in estimates of drug injecting.

It is important that these findings are mapped against the availability of treatment services nationally. Opiate and crack cocaine use is particularly prevalent within the homeless population. Almost 40% of homelessness services in our Survey of Needs and Provision reported that a majority of their clients had drug problems. These clients often have complex and multi-faceted needs and have difficulties accessing treatment.

Update

We have received funding from the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) to research and publish case studies on successful Hospital Admission and Discharge Protocols for homeless people.

This follows the publication of the Hospital Admission and Discharge Protocol that was produced in 2006 by Homeless Link in partnership with the Department of Health, Communities and Local Government and the London Network for Nurses and Midwives.

Appropriate discharge from hospital can help to prevent homelessness and the right processes must be followed from admission. Our case studies will help the protocol to be implemented in more locations across the country. For more information please contact Sarah in the policy team sarah.gorton@homelesslink.org.uk

The Department of Health on the Individual Budgets pilot programme

The Individual Budgets Evaluation Network (IBSEN) has published a national evaluation of the Individual Budgets pilot programme Key findings include that:

• Individual Budgets (IBs) were typically used to purchase personal care, assistance with domestic chores, and social, leisure and educational activities
• People receiving an IB were more likely to feel in control of their daily lives, compared with those receiving conventional social care support; satisfaction was highest among mental health service users and physically disabled people and lowest among older people
• Little difference was found between the average cost of an IB and the costs of conventional social care support, although there were variations between user groups
• Staff involved in piloting IBs encountered challenges with determining levels of individual IBs and establishing legitimate boundaries for how IBs are used; there were particular concerns about safeguarding vulnerable adults

We support the way that individual budgets can give people who use social care services greater flexibility in how they use resources to meet their needs, priorities and aspirations. It will be important that the lessons from implementation in other care services are actively taken into account should homelessness services begin to make further use of IBs.

Communities and Local Government on the Private Rented Sector

The University of York has published an independent review into the Private Rented Sector , which suggests that a new drive is needed to improve the quality of the sector.

The report, commissioned by Communities and Local Government, recommends specific measures to protect vulnerable tenants including new licensing systems and regulations for landlords and letting agencies. It also suggests looking at ways to provide more support to landlords who are prepared to house more vulnerable people.

We support this increased focus on reforming the Private Rented Sector (PRS). The PRS is increasingly being considered as an option for some homeless people, and we will continue to work with Communities and Local Government as the Housing Reform Green Paper is developed early next year.

Care Services Improvement Partnership on working with offenders with learning disabilities

The Care Services Improvement Partnership has released a handbook for professionals in the criminal justice system on working with offenders with learning disabilities .

The handbook suggests that offenders with learning disabilities often face disadvantages in securing housing appropriate to their needs. It proposes that probation teams should work closely with the client to explore the housing options available to them. It also suggests linking up with CTLD (Community Teams for people with Learning Disabilities) to help plan which local services would be appropriate. The handbook stresses the importance of criminal justice representatives getting involved with their local partnership boards to make contacts in the learning disabilities sector and help with resettlement plans in the area.

We are aware that people leaving prison are vulnerable to homelessness, and in particular those with complex needs. Findings from our Survey of Needs and Provision suggested that a fifth of homelessness projects had 50% or more clients who were prison leavers. We welcome this new guidance to help probation teams prevent homelessness amongst this group.

Race for Justice on Ethnic Minorities and the Criminal Justice system

Race for Justice has released a report on Ethnic Minorities and the Criminal Justice system

The report suggests that over-representation of BME groups in the Criminal Justice System is frequently evidenced but poorly understood. It states that risk factors that lead to offending for young people in BME communities often include low family income and poor housing.

We are aware that poor housing and homelessness can put individuals at higher risk of offending. One Home Office research report suggested that, of the prisoners they interviewed, more than half (51%) had housing problems prior to imprisonment.

The housing and neighbourhood impact of Britain’s changing ethnic mix

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has released a report on The housing and neighbourhood impact of Britain’s changing ethnic mix

The report suggests that housing is critical to the welfare and integration of new migrants, but that most migrants live in the private rented sector in poor or insecure accommodation. It states that although only a small number of migrants gain access to social housing this can still provoke ‘racialised resentment’ in areas where housing pressures are severe.

New migrants in the UK can be particularly vulnerable to homelessness, sometimes due to ineligibility for housing benefit or poor knowledge of their rights. We consider that research that raises awareness about the housing realities for new migrants is particularly important to combat negative attitudes and resentment.

Update

We have launched a new toolkit to help homeless organisations profile the work that they do against the National Indicators in their Local Area Agreement (LAA).

The toolkit provides organisations with a printable report that can be used in discussions with commissioners about how their work fits into the strategic priorities in their local area. It contains case studies of homelessness services that link to specific LAA indicators and examples of relevant data and research.

Access our Local Area Agreements Toolkit here

Update

We have responded to the Audit Commission’s consultation on Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).

We welcome the focus of the proposed CAA on vulnerable people and outline how through the process of CAA the inspectorates must ensure quality services and outcomes for homeless people or those at risk of homelessness, regardless of which LAA targets have been chosen.

See our full response on our consultations page

Supporting People funding to be delivered through non-ring-fenced grant

Following results from the fifteen Supporting People (SP) pathfinder projects , Communities Minister Baroness Andrews has announced the decision to remove the ring fence around SP programme via a two-stage process from April 2009. This programme, with funding of £1.66 billion, is the largest single source of income for the third sector in England, including services for homeless people.

The non-ring-fenced grant will allow councils to develop innovative methods of supporting vulnerable people and joined up services for people who need more holistic support.

We have been talking to Government throughout the decision making process and have communicated our members’ concerns that funding could flow away from services for homeless people to those with greater statutory protection once the ringfence is taken off. We suggest that the impact of these funding changes must be monitored carefully to protect vulnerable and homeless people.

Commission for Rural Communities on tackling rural disadvantage through public service reform

The Commission for Rural Communities has released a report on tackling rural disadvantage through public service reform

The report supports the strengthening of local decision making and devolution of power, but suggests that it will take time and money to make it work effectively in rural areas and in particular to engage disadvantaged people.

Our Rural Homelessness Report highlights the particular issues faced by organisations that seek to tackle homelessness and social exclusion in rural areas, such as costs, accessibility and partnership working. Its recommendations are targeted at both service providers and local authorities.

Previous edition of Policy Link:

Policy Link October 2008

Policy Link August 2008

Policy Link June 2008

Policy Link April 2008