The Housing Corporation launched a three-month consultation on its proposals to tackle homelessness, with a key focus on improving joint working and more use of preventative measures. The Consultation paper suggests how housing associations might work with the Corporation and local authorities to respond to some key challenges including reducing the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation and improving access to affordable housing for rent.
Key questions include:
No changes to the regulatory framework are being proposed.
The Corporation also wants to use the best practice examples emerging from the Corporation's 2006 Gold Award for Excellence. One of the first themes for this Award is tackling homelessness.
The consultation will run for three months until early July and will inform the Corporation's homelessness strategy and action plan, due to be published later in the year.
Copies of the consultation document are available on the Housing Corporation website: www.housingcorp.gov.uk.
Gwynedd Council launched a new scheme to reduce the use of bed and breakfast as temporary housing for homeless people. A leasing scheme will allow the Council to lease private properties for a fixed period. The property will then be used as temporary housing for homeless families.
Francon Williams, Head of Gwynedd Council's Housing Service said: "The Council's housing officers will deal with the residents and the property will be returned in good order. We will give landlords the guarantee that the Council will be responsible for the property and it will be our duty to pay rent up front. We are now calling on the owners of properties available for rent to consider working with the Council on our Leasing Scheme."
Homeless people from across south-west London gathered in Sloane Square, Chelsea, to campaign for the vital support they now need after West London Churches Homeless Concern finally closed its temporary winter shelters. The campaigners fear many people are failing to get help despite a large range of services for rough sleepers in the Capital.
Following the campaign in Sloane Square, the founder of White Box Digital, David Barker, has pledged to sponsor the creation of a documentary and an awareness campaign to ensure a solution can be found.
Mr Barker, who volunteered at one of West London Churches Homeless Concern's shelters during the winter months, said: "Working at the homeless shelter over the winter period I realised that becoming homeless really can happen to anybody from any walk of life. A documentary will help to highlight all the issues and then the homeless people involved can work closely with the local community, authorities and charities and together find a solution that is both achievable and sustainable."
Source: www.24dash.com
TV chef and culinary author Patrick Williams hosted a special cookery session at the homeless charity Centrepoint, to promote healthy eating among homeless young people. The staff at the centre will now pass on the new recipes to young people during lifeskills and learning sessions, which are regularly run by Centrepoint.
The workshops form part of Centrepoint's Support and Development approach based on the belief that socially excluded young people need a holistic, integrated package of services to address their needs.
Centrepoint Frederick Street received £20,000 last year from the Abbey Charitable Trust, to fund a kitchen refurbishment to give the young people better facilities.
Patrick Williams has been involved with Centrepoint for several months and made a special visit to Frederick Street at Christmas to try out the new kitchen and prepare dinner with a Caribbean twist for the homeless young people and staff.
