Posted 22.11.17
Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Article link
Hundreds of rough sleepers will have the chance to start a new life off the streets in a £1.8 million scheme which is to be agreed between private funders, housing providers, and the public and voluntary sectors.
The newly-established Greater Manchester Homes Partnership will work with 'entrenched rough sleepers' - people who have regularly slept rough over the past two years and/or are well known to homelessness services - over a three-year period.
They will be given intensive support to be able to sustain a tenancy in one of 270 homes to be made available by 15 of Greater Manchester's housing providers and two private rented sector partners.
They will also be given the concentrated emotional and practical support they need to access the right kind of targeted health, training and employment services.
It is a UK first, as it represents the broadest range of partners that have ever come together for a government-backed initiative of this type, and it's the biggest of its type outside London.
*****
Posted 08.11.17
Shelter: Article link
In the most extensive review of its kind, Shelter combined official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures.
This showed the number of homeless people in Britain has increased by 13,000 in a year. However, as government records are not definitive the true figure of homelessness is likely to be even higher.
The Charity's report - Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017 - also shows just how hard it can be to escape homelessness amid a drought of affordable homes and welfare reforms - such as the freeze on housing benefit and recent roll-out of Universal Credit.
In England, where more people are affected, over a third of those living in temporary accommodation will still be homeless in a year's time.
The above link also provides access to the full report.
*****
Posted 07.11.17
Homeless Link: Article link
With London in the grips of its first cold snap, Homeless Link has produced a list of the emergency shelters that will be open in the Capital this winter.
Updates may be made to this listing as the winter progresses and more information becomes available about some of the shelters.
The winter shelters are listed under the boroughs in which they operate, so some appear more than once.
Crisis at Christmas operates a service across London, and is included as the first entry.
The above link gives access to download the full list of London winter shelters by borough.
*****
Posted 01.11.17
Garden Court Chambers: Article link
In a decision expected to have widespread implications for homeless applicants, the Court of Appeal has handed down guidance on when a person is vulnerable and therefore in priority need of assistance under the Housing Act 1996.
The judgment was given in the linked appeals of Panayiotou v London Borough of Waltham Forest and Smith v London Borough of Haringey.
This judgment offers important guidance on the recent Supreme Court decision of Hotak and clarifies a widely debated issue in homelessness law. It confirms that applicants cannot be excluded from homelessness assistance on the basis that they are not "much" more vulnerable than the ordinary person if made homeless.
This is a useful summary which also provides a link for the full judgement.
*****
Updated 10.11.17
