Crisis Skylight Newcastle:
Andrew Burnip:
[email protected]
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What we do
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Homelessness in context
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Impact & Challenges
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Future work
• Homelessness Reduction Bill
Homelessness ends here
Deliver high quality services that
enable housing stability, financial
security, improved wellbeing and
the development of positive
relationships
Be the leading source of
knowledge on causes, effects
and solutions for single
homelessness. Influence opinion
and public policy and raise
awareness so that
homelessness matters to people
Inspiration
We can and we do change the lives of homeless people. Through this work we inspire others to help end homelessness
Integrity through knowledge
Our integrity is grounded in our unique knowledge base, which comes from our research and years of working directly with
thousands of homeless people
Dignity
By giving people the tools to help themselves out of homelessness, we uphold their dignity. We act with compassion, a
sense of common decency, and with humanity
Fearlessness through independence
Our independence grants us not just the ability, but also the responsibility to be fearless and say what needs to be said to
help homeless people
Adaptability
We are curious, creative and adaptive, willing to change what we do when we know what works – and what does not
Resolve to end homelessness
Be it through anger or compassion, we draw our resolve from the injustice that is homelessness in 21 st century Britain
Who we work with 16 years +:
• Currently homeless
• Recently homeless
• At risk of homelessness
• Single homeless people
• Complexity of issues
The Skylight:
The Skylight Café:
The Skylight:
How we work:
• Progression Coaches:
• Work & Learning:
• Health & Wellbeing:
• Learning:
What we deliver:
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Photography
Confident Communication
Painting
DIY Workshop
Allotment
Creative woodwork
Sculpture
Cooking on a budget
Music.
Blogging.
Literacy
Numeracy.
ESOL / ICT.
Yoga
Football
Boxercise
Beauty Therapy
What we deliver:
• Work & Learning Coach (Changing Lives Grants)
What we deliver:
• Housing Coach: Renting Ready (+ incentives)
• Wellbeing drop-in / Counselling
• Café training
• Volunteer / Ambassadors
External Pressures
Health & Wellbeing:
• Mental Health Services cut by 8% or £600m
• Public Health Budgets cut by 3.9% of £200m
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Government given local authorities permission to raise own funds
for social care through making a 2% increase to council tax
bills. If fully used could raise nearly £20b a year by 2019-20.
• LGA estimated the gap in adult social care funding will be £2.9b
per annum by 2019-20.
Learning:
• Adult Skills budget cut by 17% (£360m) – Apprenticeships protected
External Pressures
Local Government:
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£4.1b funding cut over this Parliament for local government on top
of almost £10b in further demand-led cost pressures facing
councils by end of decade (LGA).
•
By 2020 local government will retain 100% of business rates
revenues to fund local services.
• Many local authorities will find the reduction in their grant from
Government is nowhere compensated for by the devolution of
business rates.
In responding to the Spending Review the LGA state……
“Even if councils stopped filling in potholes, maintaining parks,
closed all children’s centres, libraries, museums, leisure centres
and turned off every street light they will not have saved enough
money to plug the financial black hole they face by 2020.
These local services which people cherish will have to be
drastically scaled back or lost altogether as councils are
increasingly forced to do more with less and protect life and
death services, such as caring for older and disabled people and
protecting children, already buckling under growing demand.”
Households accepted as homeless and in priority need North East
Households found to be homeless but not in PN
Households in Temporary Accommodation
The Numbers
Members
9,796
Into work
739
Christmas
Guests
Improved
Housing
1568
4594
Total
Volunteers
Total
Qualifications
10570
2645
Christmas
Guests
Members
1,014
Into work
52
280
Christmas
Volunteers
Improved
Housing
263
192
Total
Qualifications
125
Future Partnership working
Basement workshop
Homelessness Reduction Bill:
No One Turned Away:
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Aim: to examine the quality of information and advice available to single homeless people
•
Eight mystery shoppers with previous experience of homelessness made 87 visits to 16
local authorities across England to try and access help
•
In 50 out of 87 visits mystery shoppers received no help at all or very limited assistance
• E.g. generic information about the PRS and other third sector organisations who may
be able to help or brief advice about the benefits system
•
Significant regional differences in the quality of assistance and service – with LAs outside
of London performing better
The Homelessness Reduction Bill
• No one Turned Away
• Summer 2015 established independent expert panel
To consider
• Recommendations to strengthen legislation to prevent and tackle single
homelessness more effectively.
• Review changes in Scotland & Wales
• Chaired by Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick
Current Legislation:
S.188 – where there is reason to believe:
• Homeless (within 28 days)
• Eligible
• Priority need.
Council must provide TA during their enquires:
• Intentionality
• Local Connection.
Current prevention power:
Code Of Guidance: July 2006
DCLG Grant funding
£315m by 2019/20
Homeless Reduction Bill
• Private members Bill
• Bob Blackman MP
• 2nd Reading on the 28th October
• Has cross party support
The changes:
Duty to provide advisory services:
LAs to provide free information and advise on preventing and relieving
homelessness, the rights of homeless people or those threatened.
Services should be tailored to vulnerable groups. Can be outsourced.
Why?
Current legislation does not specify the type of quality of advice and
information nor that it must be tailored to local needs of needs of
vulnerable groups.
The changes:
Duty to assess all eligible applicants and agree a plan:
LAs must carry out an assessment of needs and provide support and
information on the steps both parties will take to prevent homelessness.
These must be reasonable, achievable and confirmed in writing.
Why?
Current legislation only requires LAs to make enquiries into what duty may
be owed. Some LAs go further to prevent homelessness but many do not
and this is missed opportunity to provide advise and support.
The changes
Homelessness Prevention Duty:
Will place a duty on Las to help prevent homelessness for anyone at risk.
By either helping them to remain in their home or securing a new place
to live. The Bill extends the period for which people are considered
threatened with homelessness from 28 days to 56 days.
Why?
There is currently no duty to prevent homelessness for all households.
There is some good practice but many LAs do not provide a proactive
prevention service.
The changes:
Relief Duty:
Homelessness relief is action taken to resolve homelessness if a person is
already homeless. This could be if prevention work fails, or the application
for assistance is made after accommodation is lost. The relief duty requires
LAs to take reasonable steps to help secure accommodation for any
eligible person. This could be for example, the provision of a rent deposit
scheme or through housing allocations. The duty will last for up to 56 days.
Why?
If you are not in priority need under the current legislation you will be
offered very little help.
The changes:
Non-cooperation:
Places a new duty on LAs to assess all eligible applicants and agree a
plan to prevent homelessness. This includes steps both parties will need
to take. The Bill proposes a duty on the applicant to cooperate with
reasonable steps agreed within the housing plan. If an applicant
unreasonably fails to cooperate this will have a negative impact on the
support provided by the council. Safeguards will be in place.
Why:
There is no duty to cooperate in prevention work. The government hopes
this clause will encourage applicants to take reasonable steps to prevent
homelessness.
Challenges
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Available & affordable accommodation
Increase in access to PRS – the main reason for homelessness
Unreasonable actions – non cooperation
Increase in challenges.
Increased gatekeeping
Good councils will do more – others?
…..Government has committed to funding additional duties…….
Next steps
• Currently in committee stage
• Report stage mid Jan
• Third ready
• Lords
• Legislation?
[email protected]