Homelessness Action Team November 2007 update

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

Information Sharing Protocol

There are many debates in different parts of the country around the proportion of housing association lettings that are as a result of nominations. One of the key barriers to achieving effective working relationships on nominations is level of information provided by the local authority with a nomination.

To tackle this, the Housing Corporation has commissioned Campbell Tickell to develop a model protocol on how such information should be shared. The protocol will be launched at the CIoH Lettings and Homelessness Conference in November. Implementation of the protocol will be piloted in different areas for 6 months to identify the need for any improvements.

So what does the protocol offer? It does not replace an allocations policy. Rather it clarifies and makes consistent the information base that is required to implement an allocation policy, whatever its criteria. It is recommended that all parties to all allocations arrangements adopt it as one of their components. Think how good this could be; housing associations would receive information about nominations in a single, common approach, rather than different forms for every local authority area in which they operate.

The protocol should help to build trust between agencies with differing priorities and resources. It will assist nominating agencies to provide the correct information and to understand the requirements of receiving landlords. The purpose of the protocol is to help identify the needs and characteristics of individuals being rehoused to facilitate:

Homeless prevention;
Tenancy sustainment;
The provision of appropriate accommodation, services and support;
The efficient use of stock, by speeding letting times, reducing refusals, and reducing turnover; and
Managing risk: risk to the individual applicant, to other tenants/residents, to housing and support staff, and to the nominating and receiving agencies.

protocol is for all households applying for social rented housing, through all allocation routes, including transfers between landlords, mobility schemes, Common Housing Registers, Common Allocation Policy arrangements, Choice Based Lettings schemes, statutory homelessness applications, direct application policies and resettlement from hostels and temporary accommodation.

The underlying principle behind the protocol is to encourage the exchange of the right amount and quality of accurate information, at the relevant point of access to housing – neither too little, nor too much. There are three types of information to be supplied:

Essential information about communication needs, high risks, major vulnerability and basic household information (size, ages and relationships);
Flags and flagged information covers aspects about the applicant that are required for a successful allocation. Contacts in agencies relevant agencies that may provide fuller information or support to the applicant must be provided and should be followed up by the receiving landlord; and
Checklists and additional information allow further details to be provided to help the receiving landlord. Additionally, there is a section for the nominating agency to flag a summary risk assessment.

There are three elements to the protocol:

The first section describes the purpose of the protocol, and processes associated with it;
Annexes schedule information to be collected and passed on, to aid the allocation process; and
Further annexes comprise a set of forms that replicate the structure for collecting information, compatible either as a stand-alone system, or to be used on a networking basis between agencies.

To find out more come along to the session at the Lettings and Homelessness Conference or contact us.

Places of Change Programme

The Comprehensive Spending Review has allocated £70 million to extend the Places of Change Programme over the next three years, helping rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the streets.

The programme (previously known as the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme) provides capital funding to support the development of Places of Change that are centres of engagement and empowerment with a focus on activity, employment, education or training. These places support people to make positive changes in their lives and move on to independent or more appropriate supported accommodation. They operate from welcoming buildings with motivated staff and service users engage with the local community.

The funding available through the programme will be allocated on the basis of applications against criteria that will be published shortly. An assessment of the first round of the programme can be found on the CLG website.

It should be noted that the funding is payable to local authorities, although any organisation may see the benefit of the funding. This means strong partnerships need to be established with local authorities to bid for funding and to deliver the schemes. Timescales for the application process will be tight so you need to be securing these partnerships now if you want to be successful. Local authorities can bid for more than one scheme in their area.

Homeless Link can provide links to previous projects and advice on aspects of the bidding process. Contact details for the relevant Regional Manager can be found at www.homeless.org.uk/inyourarea/team.

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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Ashram Housing Association provides a culturally sensitive, person centred support service to women and families that have encountered domestic abuse – mainly from the South Asian communities but not exclusively. The service has proven to be enormously successful in the prevention of homelessness by ensuring that a full range of measures, including where appropriate legal remedies as well as housing advice and advocacy.
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The East London Housing Partnership has drafted a Domestic Violence protocol for LA’s, RSL’s and the domestic violence sector working in the East London Sub Region. Consultation on the draft runs until 15 February 2008. Any organisation operating in the Sub Region is welcome to influence the protocol.
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Old Ford Housing Association supports the local Credit Union, housed in a property owned by the Association. Old Ford also provide accommodation and grant funding for local Bangladeshi and Somali advocacy groups to provide advice and assistance to the local community.
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Endeavour Housing Association has a formal referral process to Stockton CAB at two stages during its arrears recovery process. Take-up of this advice and its impact is monitored. The association believes this arrangement to very successful and is looking to expand it in other areas.
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Salvation Army Housing Association has a Homelessness Strategy Group, a staff discussion forum which seeks to ensure the Association is addressing relevant issues to enable it to achieve its objective of providing accommodation and services for homeless people and supporting their move to independence, from Agency Services, Foyers and Housing.
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Chevin Housing Group assesses the impact of local lettings policies, starter tenancies, financial inclusion schemes and a range of other services on local communities on an annul basis using its investment assessment matrix.

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
Liverpool, 24th January 2008
Birmingham, 21st February 2008
Guildford, 11th March 2008
(The HAT is helping to run some workshops)

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
Birmingham, 30th November 2007
Manchester, 3rd December 2007
(The HAT is contributing to these workshops)