Posted 22.12.17
Kingston Council: Article link
A new service, commissioned by Kingston Council, is preventing people from becoming homeless with its early intervention approach.
Fresh Start, a specialist outreach service, works with people who display known risk factors for homelessness, such as debt problems, substance or alcohol misuse, unemployment or family relationship breakdown.
Run by homeless charity SPEAR, Lisa Moodie who heads up the team of seven Fresh Start Intervention Workers, explains that the programme is about supporting people before they hit crisis point.
Fresh Start supports both families and individuals at risk of becoming homeless. Intervention workers start with a holistic assessment of a client's situation, looking at the root causes of their tenancy issues and identifying what support they need.
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Posted 14.12.17
Chartered Institute of Housing: Article link
Responding to the latest homelessness statistics for England, released by the Department for Communities and Local Government, Chartered Institute of Housing Chief Executive Terrie Alafat CBE said:
"It is quite simply a national outrage that so many people are homeless in England in 2017. We must act now.
"Today's figures show the number of households accepted as homeless has jumped by more than 60% since the low of 2009. That's partly because of pressures on the housing market but also some of the welfare changes that have come into force in recent years.
"Our research with the University of Sheffield has shown that the vast majority of councils and housing associations believe government welfare policy is hitting their efforts to tackle homelessness.
"And the real picture is likely to be much worse - for everyone who goes to their council for help there are likely to be many more 'hidden homeless' people sofa surfing and sleeping on public transport for example."
See also 'Quick Links' below - Statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief, England: July to September 2017.
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Posted 01.12.17
Department for Communities and Local Government: Article link
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has set out details of a new Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel, that aims to help develop a national strategy as part of the Government's commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it altogether by 2027.
This new Advisory Panel made up of homelessness experts, charities and local government, will support the Ministerial Taskforce, which brings together ministers from key departments to provide a cross-government approach to preventing rough sleeping and homelessness.
The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Implementation Taskforce will be chaired by the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.
The Advisory Panel supporting the Taskforce will be chaired by the Homelessness Minister Marcus Jones.
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Updated 14.12.17
