Hostels Capital Improvement
Programme (HCIP)
Policy Briefing 12
Published September 2005
Hostels Capital Improvement
Programme (HCIP)
Policy Briefing 12
Published September 2005
September 2005
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: London
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HOSTELS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAMME (HCIP)
Introduction
This policy brief is the latest in a series that has covered issues such as providing more settled homes,
homelessness prevention, domestic violence, employment and health. The series offers advice to local
authorities and their partners on the Government’s homelessness agenda and its key policy issues
and priorities.
This policy brief draws on the Government’s new homelessness strategy and looks at improving
hostels through the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme. This is an integral part of sustaining
reductions in rough sleeping.
Sustaining reductions in rough sleeping
The 2005 rough sleeping estimate shows 459 people were sleeping rough in England on any single
night. Encouragingly this is the lowest recorded estimate and confirms that the Government’s rough
sleeping target is being sustained.
Clearly the most visible form of homelessness is that of people sleeping in the streets. In 1998 the
Prime Minister set a target that by 2002 the number of rough sleepers should be reduced by at least
two thirds. This target was met ahead of time in 2001 and is being sustained.
In 1998 there were 1,850 rough sleepers on the streets of England on any single night. Now there are
fewer than 500. The success of this reduction is a result of effective partnership working between
local authorities, voluntary sector agencies and others.
Hostels – background
Whilst there is no doubt that hostels have played an important role in reducing the number of rough
sleepers, there has been some concern about the quality of some first stage hostels and the impact
they have in moving single homeless people into independent living. Too many hostel residents have
been leaving for negative reasons: being evicted or abandoning their places and returning to the
streets or other temporary accommodation. Much of this may be due to the changing nature of clients,
especially over the past few years.
Research and data suggests that, due to the rise in the availability of drugs, hostels are working with
far more complex and challenging residents. Some agencies have argued that hostel provision for
rough sleepers, or former rough sleepers, should be concentrated on a smaller number of specialist
hostels. Others believed that the exceptionally high support needs of rough sleepers should be shared
more equally between a number of hostels, to avoid a concentration of problems. There is no easy
solution. However, there is a consensus around the need to reduce the size and configuration of
hostels, and to provide more space for hostel staff to engage more effectively with clients.
The Government’s 2004 Review of the Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS)1 identified and agreed
that improved hostel provision was a key public service priority. This brought about the Hostels
Capital Improvement Programme.
1
Available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spending_review/spend_ccr/spend_ccr_voluntary/ ccr_voluntary_2004.cfm
3
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
Summary
•
•
ODPM are investing £90m of capital funding for three years (2005/06-2007/08) through the HCIP.
The funding is underpinned by the need to change the very nature of hostels to provide better
opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness and prevent them from becoming
homeless again.
•
Hostels will cease to be a place of last resort, but instead will be centres of excellence and choice
which positively change lives.
•
Re-modelling the space will allow staff to better address the needs of residents, link them into
services and plan for move-on into more settled accommodation.
•
Funding is currently allocated to around 80 projects in 34 English local authorities. A map of their
geographical spread is included at annex A.
•
Funding must achieve significant change in the delivery of services, in tandem with improvements
through the capital works, through improved employment, health, personal development and
housing outcomes for residents.
•
Hostels should reduce the number of exclusions and abandonments, through improved building
design and service delivery.
•
HCIP will enable local authorities to meet the targets and outcomes identified in their
homelessness strategies, particularly around tenancy sustainment and the prevention of repeat
homelessness for single people and former rough sleepers.
•
HCIP is an important part of the ODPM’s homelessness strategy and the investment should
contribute to the ODPM’s aim to reduce homelessness, help more people into settled homes and
halve the use of temporary accommodation by 2010.
•
It will help more people to move more quickly, and on a more sustainable basis, to independent
living. In this way, a hostel can actually help to reduce an authority’s overall use of temporary
accommodation.
•
HCIP funding is for capital works to buildings, but will also facilitate a step change in the delivery
of services in hostels.
What does the HCIP mean for hostels?
Hostel services should enable residents to move towards independent living, with support when
appropriate and to employment and/or training. There are three key areas – improving the building,
developing and expanding services, and valuing and motivating staff.
The hostel must be a place of change for its residents.
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) 4
Outcomes to be delivered through HCIP
•
•
•
•
•
Improved physical environment for residents and staff
Demonstration of meaningful activity for residents within services
Clear pathways to independent living for each resident
Well-trained, motivated and supported staff
Reduction in exclusions and abandonment amongst residents
ODPM provides funding on the basis that there is evidence of a positive partnership between the local
authority and provider/s, a project management approach to the building programme and agreed
Supporting People funding or other revenue funding. In addition, the building design should facilitate
improved service delivery.
Physical environment
The HCIP is intended to make buildings “fit for purpose” in the 21st century – welcoming, positive
spaces that are neither institutional nor reflect the harder edge of emergency accommodation. While
security is an important issue, we would encourage communal areas to be as welcoming as possible.
The reception area is key in conveying this approach. This has been successfully achieved in a
number of hostels, which have adopted a more hotel style approach.
Snow Hill Hostel in Birmingham is a large, first stage hostel. They have designed a welcoming
reception area which resembles a hotel lobby, providing a welcoming but safe entrance to
the building.
Shared areas for staff and residents should be given attention. Sharing communal areas (including
entrance doors and foyers) with residents breaks down institutional barriers and also provides a useful
opportunity for key workers to meet clients in a more relaxed environment.
The HCIP is helping to build a day centre for Homeless Families on the ground floor of a tower block
in Brent. The architect has created an exciting space, based on consultation with users and
interpreting their requests, in innovative and original ways.
They have built an egg shaped room in the heart of the building thus providing curved walls in the
rooms and corridors. This creates a softer non-institutionalised environment. Shapes have been cut
into the walls to create climbing frames and play areas for the children and coloured lights reflected
through the ceiling make each separate room easily identifiable according to use.
The design of a building can also affect the health of its residents depending on the levels of natural
light and air circulation. Also efforts should be made towards maximising energy efficiency, and
reducing the environmental impact of the building.
5 Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
Architects for Gabriel House Hostel in Exeter have identified areas in the hostel that currently have
only artificial light and ventilation. This has lead to stale smells and dark corridors. The new design
has opened out the hostel and maximised natural light and air. They have created an atrium in the
building, which along with other energy saving designs will reduce carbon emissions by 86 tonnes
per year, as well as creating a healthy environment for residents.
Many hostels in the HCIP have shared bedrooms or dormitories, which residents generally dislike and
which create both management and safety problems. In seeking to provide improved accommodation,
providers must consider single rooms, perhaps with en suite bathrooms, or draw on design solutions
found within student accommodation or foyers, where single rooms are often in small clusters with
shared bathrooms.
Services such as GP surgeries, counselling or other therapeutic interventions, training, assessments,
key working and resettlement should be offered, either within the building or in a separate facility.
Engagement with mainstream services is to be encouraged where possible, to help residents rebuild
independent lives.
The physical development of the building should reflect the different levels of engagement required
by individual residents. Some residents will benefit from a structured approach, which may not be
appropriate for those still addressing drug or alcohol use and whose lives may be more chaotic. Drop
in services with flexible opening hours can be particularly helpful for this client group and can help
people develop a more structured approach to daytime activity. Space for activities such as sports or
reading should be considered as well as for the more conventional services listed above.
At Look Ahead’s Dock Street Hostel a resident and heroin user set up a library, developed a
database and lending system.
The hostel also has a gym, funded by a corporate sponsor. Many in the sector would be afraid of
the Health & Safety implications, but with appropriate choice of equipment and a simple induction
process the gym runs itself with no supervision required. Aside from being a meaningful activity this
also leads to improved personal fitness and well being.
Paul Perkin – Hostel Manager
[email protected] – 020 7481 1326
It is also helpful to include space for social enterprise, to encourage self-employment as a route to
independent living.
Meaningful activity
Meaningful activity must be at the core of service delivery within hostels, alongside access to health
services including substance misuse or mental health services. An expectation that residents will take
part in such activity should be made clear at initial assessment stage and encouraged by staff during a
resident’s stay in the hostel.
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) 6
Some residents may need to develop self-confidence and self esteem before they take part in training
or employment opportunities. This can successfully be done through activities such as 5 a side
football, cookery classes, carpentry or art sessions.
The Crisis Skylight café, run by residents of the activity centre in the east end of London, went into
profit in its first year and trainees have gone into full time employment. It has been designed and run
in such a way to escape the aura of a “Homeless project” and is a very attractive and commercial
café. The art on the walls was made by members and is sold too.
Micky Walsh – Head of projects
[email protected]
Social enterprise schemes can be successfully incorporated into hostels and can provide routes into
employment. Schemes include cafes, furniture stores and gardening businesses.
The Shekinah mission in Plymouth runs a 13 week training program which trains homeless people in
the building trade – bricklaying, plastering etc – which aside from helping them find employment also
helped secure them a large contract making fireplaces for a national building contractor. They also
have secured a contract from the Royal Navy making Captain’s boxes for on board ship. On top of
this the trainees were called upon to complete building work on their own day centre.
John Hamblin
[email protected]
Resettlement
Hostel accommodation by its nature should be short term and should help residents develop the skills
to live independently, either on their own or in shared accommodation. Discussions about appropriate
resettlement from the hostel should therefore be held with each resident during the initial assessment
process and must be regularly reviewed through the key-working process.
Traditional sources of accommodation for planned moves from hostels include supported move-on
accommodation owned by the provider or nomination to registered social landlord (RSL) or local
authority (LA) general needs social housing. However more emphasis needs to be placed on securing
accommodation, either self contained or within shared houses, in the private rented sector for this
client group, especially in areas where social housing is in high demand.
The private rented sector is a valuable move on resource, especially if it can be linked to floating
support services.
The future accommodation needs of hostel residents can be addressed through targeting landlords,
offering incentives, offering rent deposits or rent in advance, ensuring housing benefit services are
efficient and effective and actively promoting the private rented sector to residents.
7 Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
Partnership with other service providers
Evidence of a positive partnership between the local authority and its hostel providers is a key issue
within the HCIP. However this partnership must also extend to agencies such as health, benefits,
further education providers and the Learning and Skills Council to maximise opportunities for
meaningful occupation and employment and to improve access to healthcare, including detox.
Effective partnerships with health could enable providers to offer therapeutic interventions such as
cognitive behavioural therapy or in-house alcohol detox projects such as is offered by Framework
Housing Association.
The Sneinton Hermitage project in Nottingham runs an alcohol detox scheme for hostel residents,
which enables them to detox safely without having to become hospital in-patients. This increases
take up of the service and provides a route into other services such as education and also increases
opportunities for tenancy sustainment.
Contact [email protected]
Partnership with organisations such as Business in the Community who run Ready for Work (RFW)
programmes will have positive impact on residents’ ability to secure and hold down employment.
The Ready for Work programme offers 2 week work placements preceded by 2 days’ training in
interview techniques, CVs and job coaching. This is followed by an “action day” when attempts are
made at job matching.
49% of clients on Birmingham’s RTW programme went on to full time employment.
Kate Latour
Business in the Community (BITC)
[email protected] – 020 7566 6615
Change Up
ODPM is working with the Home Office and the voluntary sector to develop a new approach to
capacity building and infrastructure support for the homeless sector – Change Up. This will enable us
to strengthen the voluntary sector by improving leadership, information exchange and best practice,
create regional and sub-regional support arrangements and develop practical support for smaller,
harder to reach frontline agencies.
The ODPM is running one of the Public Service Priorities of Change Up and has contracted
Homeless Link to place a manager in Government Offices to help cement partnership working
between local authorities, central government and the voluntary sector. They will be improving
capacity building in the homeless voluntary and community sector and work closely with local
authorities in delivering their strategies alongside the VCS. They will specifically be engaged with
the Hostel Capital Improvement Programme and its aims.
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) 8
Hostels Toolkit
In order to learn more about the high turnover of clients in hostels we invited Westminster,
Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol councils to take part in a pilot review. This looked at direct
access hostels for homeless people without children. The review helped ODPM decide what was
needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of hostels in helping people move away from the
streets and homelessness more generally. A best practice ‘Toolkit’ has been published as a result of
this work – http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_homelessness/documents/page/
odpm_home_035966.pdf
Review of settled housing for former rough sleepers in London
ODPM has commissioned a research report by Research & Information Services which reviews
arrangements for settled housing for former rough sleepers in London and identifies potential
improvements to them. This is due to publish on the ODPM website during September 2005.
It has long been recognised that a successful programme for helping people who are sleeping rough
will need a programme of access to settled housing. The major part of this programme in London has
been the provision of housing through registered social landlords (RSLs). This housing stock has been
reserved for former rough sleepers and accessed through a lettings Clearing House. There are now
3,700 self-contained homes in the London Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) stock.
There have also been other routes into settled housing, such as move-on quotas from hostels provided
by some RSLs and local authorities, lettings through the Homes & Employment Mobility services
(HEMS) and through accessing private rented housing. These routes are not specifically targeted at
rough sleepers.
The key issues examined in the research are
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
access and referral arrangements to the Clearing House
the efficiency and effectiveness of Clearing House operations
potential improvements to the Clearing House
Possible alternative arrangements for lettings of RSI stock of settled housing for rough sleepers
Other sources of housing, including local authority and RSL lets, and the private sector
Pre-tenancy work
Referral arrangements for tenancy support
Estimating the potential demand for settled housing for former rough sleepers
Agencies were unanimous that there is a need for a central allocations function for the RSI stock and
that the Clearing House provides prompt and suitable referrals.
9 Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
The majority of the recommendations in the report have already been implemented, following
consultation with key stakeholders. The ODPM will be considering all the key issues raised by the
research and we will continue to have detailed discussions with Broadway, who manage the Clearing
House, and other relevant agencies to consider the remaining recommendations.
HCIP conclusion
The £90 million HCIP being invested over three years will change the very nature of hostels.
There are around 80 exciting projects which will provide better opportunities for people who have
experienced homelessness and prevent them from being homeless again.
Hostels will cease to be a place of last resort and instead become centres of excellence which
positively change lives. We expect hostel improvements to sustain reductions in rough sleeping,
building on the very good progress made in recent years and resulting, in 2005, in the lowest ever
recorded number of people sleeping rough in England.
Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)
10
ANNEX A
HOSTEL CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
佦 NEWCASTLE
佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦佦
佦 佦 佦佦佦
London
佦 YORK
PENDLE
佦
佦 佦 LEEDS
BLACKBURN
佦 BRADFORD
佦 ROCHDALE
佦 GRIMSBY
DONCASTER
佦
佦 LIVERPOOL
佦 SHEFFIELD
佦 DERBY
佦 LEICESTER
佦 CAMBRIDGE
佦 BRISTOL 佦
佦 OXFORD
佦 SLOUGH
佦READING
SWINDON
佦 SOUTHAMPTON 佦 BRIGHTON
佦 EXETER
佦 PLYMOUTH
N
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Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP)