New proposals for all hostels to provide access to support, training and employment within the next three years, to help end persistent rough sleeping, were announced by Housing Minister Iain Wright.
The proposals aim to reduce rough sleeping to as close to zero as possible, with new measures to help those who have remained entrenched on the streets.
New initiatives will be supported by the £160 million available to refurbish hostels and improve their services by 2011.
Stakeholders involved in rough sleeping are being invited to join in the discussion on a package of measures to underpin the strategy, including:
Whilst progress has been made reducing the number of rough sleepers from 1,800 in 1997 to around 500 on any given night, the challenge now is help the remaining persistent rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the streets, especially in London. Some have been in a 'revolving door of homelessness' entering hostels dozens of times a year but coming back onto the streets only days later.
Many hostels are already operating successful training schemes, ranging from cookery and mechanical repairs, to IT and decorating, which are helping rough sleepers away from the streets. The aim is to make these services more widely available.
The Homelessness Action Team, the joint project between the Housing Corporation and Communities and Local Government, has been extended for another 12 months to the end of March 2009. This is due to the progress made in its first year.
The Team's main aim is to reduce homelessness and the number of households in temporary accommodation, contributing to the Government target to halve this figure by 2010, and to disseminate best practice. It has a national remit with a particular focus on London.
The Homelessness Action Team has carried out a wide-ranging programme to tackle homelessness, with key highlights including:
During the Homelessness Action Team's first year, numbers in temporary accommodation have reduced nationally by 10,000. In London, numbers in temporary accommodation have reduced by 7%, homelessness acceptances have been reduced by 16%, and the number of 16 and 17 year-olds in bed and breakfast hostels have reduced from over 500 to less than 300.
Fareham-based construction firm Amiri was granted planning permission for a new £2.6 million homeless shelter in Hampshire. It is to be constructed on behalf of homeless charity Emmaus Hampshire.
The complex will include 23 residential units, as well as a workshop area and retail shop front. Work is scheduled for completion in spring 2009.
Emmaus Communities enable people to move on from homelessness, providing work and a home in a supportive environment. Residents work full time - collecting, renovating and reselling donated furniture. This supports the Community financially and enables residents to develop skills and rebuild their self-respect.
The number of households who are homeless in Thanet has been halved, two years ahead of the Government's target.
Thanet District Council had been told to cut the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation from the total of 103 in December 2004 to 52 by 2010.
That target has been achieved and exceeded, with just 50 households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March 2008.
This reflects the success of the Council's Housing Options Team. As soon as anyone comes in with housing issues, the Team arranges an interview to look at the available options to stop them becoming homeless.
This has included advice for people with mortgage difficulties and mediation where there are problems within families. The Council's rent deposit scheme has also been used to help.
The Rotary Club of Southampton joined forces with the Southampton homelessness charity the Society of St James, to provide survival packs to the rough sleepers in the city.
Among other items. the pack will contain a sleeping bag, a first aid kit, toothbrush, flask and an emergency contacts card. The packs, which can be carried on the back, will be distributed from the St James Soup Run, which offers a hot meal to homeless people from the City's St Mary's Church 365 nights a year.
