This update is aimed at those with a role in preventing or tackling homelessness, giving you news about the role of the team, examples from a range of organisations and other useful information. We want you to contribute so please send information to hatenquiries@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk

Homelessness Action Plans

Some associations produced homelessness statements or action plans in response to the homelessness strategy published by the Housing Corporation in November 2006. This early work was really good and shows the commitment of these associations to respond to the pressures of homelessness.

Many more associations are now drafting up their action plans following contact with the HAT. These plans have proved valuable in highlighting the range of factors that contribute to preventing or tackling homelessness. Generally, these plans have been reported to the associations’ boards and have been very well received. Board members are enthusiastic in discussing these issues because tackling homelessness is the main reason why many board members give their time.

Some associations have also published their plans or strategies in a form that can be sent to partners to show the range of services they provide.

If you would like to discuss how to produce a homelessness action plan please contact us.

Working in partnership

One of the main themes in the Housing Corporation’s Homelessness Strategy is improving partnership working by housing associations with local authorities and other organisations. Let’s face it, most of us know that we could improve how we work with others but we never quite get round to it. There are some really good examples around the country but there is certainly room for improvement.

The Corporation's Homelessness Strategy asks that associations should:

• Engage with local authorities strategically and operationally;
• Agree with local authorities how they will contribute to the development and delivery of sustainable communities to tackle homelessness;
• Work with other local associations to ensure that collaborative approaches are adopted to tackle and prevent homelessness;
• Engage with local authorities collectively to agree locally appropriate levels of nominations;
• Have transparent nominations agreements and lettings policies in place;
• Consider preparing a homelessness action plan;
• Identify a Homelessness Champion to drive an association's approach to homelessness and act as the first point of contact for other organisations; and
• Engage with local authorities, voluntary and community groups to ensure they are taking account of the needs of BME households.

So what are the benefits of effective partnership working?

• Understanding each others’ priorities and pressures;
• We achieve more by working together;
• Sharing out the work when implementing service improvement and responding to initiatives;
• Attracting funding; and
• Better outcomes for service users.

It feels that a large part of our role is to bring organisations together, encouraging them to resolve previous difficulties and to agree new ways of working to prevent and tackle homelessness. This is a pity because we also see some really good examples of what can be achieved through working together.

We’ve asked people on both sides about what works and how they would like relationships to improve. Here’s our ideas:

• Understand each others’ priorities and limitations,
• Put effort into your communication and be willing to compromise,
• Share roles so one organisation does not lead or control the process. Think about where meetings are held and who chairs them.
• Be prepared to change what you do;
• Make some financial commitment – it concentrates the mind to make partnerships work;
• Adopt shared procedures and protocols where this may help;
• Agree how disputes will be resolved; and
• Recognise personal relationships are important and work at them.

To support its work on homelessness the Housing Corporation has commissioned research to tell us more about the relationships between housing associations and local authorities. The results of this research will be launched at the CIoH Lettings and Homelessness Conference in November. Keep an eye out for this research. We’ll include some of the main messages in a future HAT update.

Good Examples

We continue to find many examples of different ways in which housing associations prevent and tackle homelessness. To find out more about any those listed below please contact us.

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Harvest Housing Group uses starter tenancies but its policy states that they will not be used to take possession in case of arrears.
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Wrekin Housing Trust employs four Welfare Benefits Advisors who have proved their success in terms of improving the financial position of tenants a reducing arrears.
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Castle Vale Community Housing Association employs a Homeownership Officer who works with owner-occupiers to advise on maintaining their home and maximising benefits. This helps to improve the overall environment and reduces turnover in the area.
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Trafford Housing Group has a group of seven community mentors who provide support and advice to people from BME backgrounds who are at risk of becoming homeless.
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The Chartered Institute of Housing has appointed Sharon Wheeler as Financial Capability Advisor to work with housing organisations to look at ways they can help their residents deal with their finances more confidently. (sharon.wheeler@cih.org).
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Circle Anglia’s Alone In London project has a Family Mediation service that helps young people avoid irretrievable family breakdown by working with the young person and their family to resolve difficult issues and to establish mutually agreed courses of action. The service also seeks to find solutions for those young people who are already homeless, or in care, but want to try to re-establish positive contact with their families.
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Genesis Housing Group undertake a random audit of 10% of their stock each year, enabling them to update the profile of the tenants who live in the home, ascertain whether the property is suitable for their needs and identify, over and under occupied properties. Incentives are available for under occupiers who downsize their property.

Preventing homelessness

A shift in emphasis in the local authority homelessness services in recent years has seen increased levels of prevention work. This has seen the number of households accepted as statutory homeless in England fall from over 135,000 during 2003/04 to 73,000 in 2006/07. The Housing Corporation’s Homelessness Strategy expects that housing associations will review their approaches to ensure that they are contributing to this prevention agenda. There will be further guidance and examples of preventative approach in future updates but to get you thinking, here are the main opportunities for preventative services to be effective.

Early intervention can have the greatest impact but the difficulty can be identifying those at risk of facing the difficulties that may lead to their tenancy failing. Some associations have introduced assessment processes at the application and lettings stages to ensure they provide the correct advice and support at an early stage.

Pre-crisis intervention identifies those who are showing the early signs of difficulties that may lead to them losing their home. There are the obvious ways to identify such cases through arrears or ASB but there are a whole range of other triggers such as bereavement, a stay in hospital or contact with the justice system. It is important that staff can identify these triggers and know how to bring in the necessary advice and support.

Recurring homelessness can be prevented by identifying those who have been homeless previously and ensuring that they have the appropriate support to avoid future difficulties.

Events

These are some of the events being organised that may be of interest to those working around homelessness. If you know of future events please let us know so we can include them.

Shelter Homelessness Prevention Conferences
Norwich, 1st November 2007
Liverpool, 24th January 2008
Birmingham, 21st February 2008
Guildford, 5th March 2008
(The HAT is helping to run some workshops)

CLG Homelessness Summits aimed at local authorities
Newcastle, 24th October 2007
Leeds; 8th November 2007
Birmingham; 15th November 2007

CIoH Lettings & Homelessness Conference
Nottingham, 20th – 22nd November 2007
(The HAT is running a workshop and will be there throughout the conference if you want to catch up with us)

HQN Homelessness Workshops
Reading, 6th November 2007
London, 14th November 2007
Nottingham, 16th November 2007
Exeter, 27th November 2007
Birmingham, 30th November 2007
Manchester, 3rd December 2007
Newcastle, 4th December 2007
Leeds, 5th December 2007
Cambridge, 7th December 2007
(The HAT is contributing to these workshops)

Contact us

We ask for your input in a number of ways. If you can help us or if you would like us to meet with you please contact us.

Mark Meehan
mark.meehan@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk
07721 375104

Gerald Wild 
gerald.wild@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk 
07971 667119

Madeleine Jeffery 
madeleine.jeffery@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk 
07798 588752

Nick Sedgwick 
nick.sedgwick@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk 
07919 394910

Martin Waddington 
martin.waddington@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk 
07980 988687

Dave Anteh 
dave.anteh@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk 
07920 781254