Section: Homelessness & Rough Sleeping

Training Fund for Homeless People

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Iain Wright announced a new £450,000 fund to develop education and training schemes in hostels, to help rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the street.

The new funding will provide trainers and tutors in hostels to help rough sleepers gain vital skills and qualifications, and is part of a £90 million hostels improvement programme, which is transforming hostels into modern places of change.

Visiting the St Basils Edmonds Court Foyer in Birmingham, Iain Wright said:

"Ten years ago it was common to see large numbers of people sleeping on the streets in all of our towns and cities. Today those numbers have been dramatically reduced. This has been achieved through the hard work and commitment of the voluntary sector and statutory agencies. But we need to do more to help people in hostels access routes into education, employment and ultimately sustained independent living.

"That is why I am announcing new funding for trainers and tutors who will develop education and training programmes in hostels. Homeless people will gain the skills and qualifications they need to build a new career and a life away from the street.

"The St Basils Foyer is a good example of a project which is improving the life chances of vulnerable young people in Birmingham. Its training facilities are giving young people the chance to learn new skills which will help them move on with their lives."

The 'Activating Places of Change' fund will be run by Homeless Link, the umbrella organisation for frontline agencies working directly with homeless people, on behalf of the Department. Bids are being sought by hostels that have received Hostels Capital Improvement Programme funding.

Poor Diet of NI Homeless Population

Almost two thirds of homeless people responding to a survey commissioned by the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI) into food poverty and homelessness in Northern Ireland are eating less than three meals a day.

This research also showed that half the participants who were parents had gone without food at some point in order to feed their children.

FSANI today also welcomed the launch of the Department of Social Development's (DSD) strategy to promote social inclusion of homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless in Northern Ireland. This strategy sets out an agreed way forward for all relevant organisations in Northern Ireland to coordinate their services to assist this deprived and marginalised group of people in the community.

FSANI's research complements the DSD's strategy by looking at the impact of food poverty and social exclusion on the diet of people who are homeless in Northern Ireland. This research involved a series of interviews and dietary assessments with homeless persons staying in temporary accommodation across the province.

The research shows that although most homeless people are getting enough to eat, the quality of their diet is poor. Key barriers to eating a balanced diet for those surveyed are their financial situation and education as well as alcohol and drug abuse.

Andrea Marnoch, FSANI's Senior Policy Officer for Diet and Nutrition, said:

"This research complements the DSD's homelessness strategy, as it helps to identify clear ways in which the FSA can work in partnership and help homeless people improve their diets and their overall health. Homeless persons are clearly at risk [of] nutritional problems, which can have a significant impact on health as a large proportion of respondents were classified as underweight and many reported emotional problems like stress and depression affecting their appetite."

Reducing Reliance on Temporary Accommodation

Housing associations, local authorities, government and private landlords must work together to reduce the use of temporary housing in London. This is the core message of a new report by the London Housing Federation and supported by the Housing Corporation.

Coming Home: Reducing the Use of Temporary Housing and Tackling Homelessness considers how housing associations, councils, private landlords and government can contribute to meeting the Government's target of halving the use of temporary accommodation by 2010 and ensuring the remaining temporary housing meets the need of tenants.

London has nearly 60,000 households in temporary accommodation. Some two-thirds of these, mainly families with children, live in homes leased from the private sector (PSL accommodation) by housing associations, while many single homeless people live in hostels.

Most temporary housing is good quality, and much better than the bed and breakfast accommodation used in the past as a main source of temporary housing for the homeless. However, the London-wide shortage of affordable rented homes for people to move into results in many people staying in temporary housing for several years.

This can make it hard for people in PSL homes to work, as their rents are very high, while single homeless people stay longer than they need to in hostels with support, occupying places that could be used for people with greater need.

Coming Home argues that London's private landlords have a crucial role to play in reducing the use of temporary housing. However, at present, many landlords are reluctant to let homes to people who have been homeless, while many people in temporary housing would prefer to wait for a social tenancy than rent privately.

The report says that housing associations can act as intermediaries between the two to unlock the potential of the private sector. For example, Broadway HA has recently launched Real Lettings, a lettings agency that leases properties from private landlords and rents them to people moving on from homeless hostels.

The report also considers ways to make more efficient use of the £640 million the State spends each year on funding temporary housing. It urges housing associations and local authorities to harness the benefits enjoyed by buy-to-let investors, by buying homes on the open market and using income from Housing Benefit to pay off the investment. In addition to providing longer-term, more secure temporary accommodation, the properties can be converted into general needs social rented housing once the debt is repaid. This temporary-to-permanent approach is being pioneered by a number of housing associations across the Capital, including Local Space in Newham.

Finding secure and rewarding employment is one of the surest ways that people can leave homelessness and temporary accommodation behind. However, high private sector rents combined with Housing Benefit rules - which mean that people lose 90 pence of Housing Benefit for every pound they earn - remove the incentive for people in temporary accommodation to work.

Coming Home calls on the Government to reform Housing Benefit, so that people living in PSL temporary accommodation pay the same rent as people in social housing, while the rest of the cost is funded by a grant. This approach has been pioneered in East London by East Thames HA. The project, called Working Future, which also provides training and childcare, has helped 40 temporary housing tenants find work in the past two years.

Rona Nicholson, Housing Corporation London Field Director, said:

"As part of our ongoing commitment to work with both local authorities and housing associations to tackle homelessness, we welcome this report and look forward to working with all our partners to developing responses to the key findings."

Section: Homelessness & Rough Sleeping

Training Fund for Homeless People

Poor Diet of NI Homeless Population

Reducing Reliance on Temporary Accommodation

Housing Monthly Diary

Reporting on July 2007

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