Iain MacPhail CEC Homelessness Strategy Voluntary Sector Liaison Officer

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Iain MacPhail CEC Homelessness
StrategyVoluntary Sector Liaison Officer

• STARTING TENANCIES RIGHT
• Ideas for a DAY ONE Service

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Wish List / Ideas for a Day One ServiceThree
Themes

• Ideas emerged from Service Users (SUI in
  Edinburgh Homelessness Strategy)
• Sustainability (Re)settlement
• different approaches to allocations may
  benefit
• Peer Support
• as a means of achieving ideas from SUI process

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• There is currently no Day One Service

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• THIS IS
• NOT A BLUEPRINT

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Context

• 27 homeless applications involve households who
  have made a previous application
• 75 of repeat presentations separated by interval
  of gt6 months
• Considerable social cost to individuals
  cost to taxpayer

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In Edinburgh 5 of all lets have some formal
SP-funded post-tenancy support

• Settlement is relationship-driven,
  person-centred, solution-focussed
• (Re)settlement takes place only when the person
  feels settled
• Cyclical/weekly support has its limitations (ie
  help between 1-1.45 each Tuesday)

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• HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY in EDINBURGH
• 2007-2012
• Where Day One Idea
• came from
• SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT

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Key issues Edinburghs HS wanted to tackle (and
ask SUs about) included

• Your experiences and opinions
• on isolation loneliness poor standards of
  housing lack of availability of housing lack of
  access to training, education, employment
  difficulties in furnishing a home (how to) debt
  budgeting issues on exclusion

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Key philosophy emergent theme

• As the excluded, we cannot include ourselves
• Worth exploring opportunities to develop
  relationships at the point of allocation/keys

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SUI Homelessness Strategy METHODOLOGY

• HPG commissioned SUI, to feed into strategy
  steering group(s) process
• Achieve robust representative sample of homeless
  populations (inc hard2rch)
• No more than 6 questions-plain English
• Seek experiences opinions, open Qs
• Two waves of research, 2 months each

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• First wave (Jan-Feb 2007)
• PREVENTION OF HOMELESSNESS
• WHAT HAPPENED / experience
• WHATS MISSING - Tell us what we need to be doing
  or providing, but are not

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Second wave (May/June 2007)SUSTAINING A TENANCY

• Targeted at mix of currently homeless to those
  with history of homelessness currently in
  tenancies
• Tell us what worked, what we could do more of,
  what we could do better

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Third Wave (June 2007) - unanticipated Views of
BME Groups in the City

• For all 3 waves questionnaires were distributed
  among network of agencies in Edinburgh
• Completed directly (with option of anonymity) or
  with support worker, or in a group setting
• Only 5 chose anonymous

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TOTAL RESPONDENTS 28317 of all homeless
presentations (4 month period)

• No incentive just influence
• Most of the feedback mirrored the ideas of the
  focus groups (c. 90 professionals)
• Evidence of services and staff in tune with needs
  of their clients
• See handout for responses details...

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Ideas for a DAY ONE ServiceWhy would it be
useful?

• SUSTAINABILITY
• Wide range of issues faced by SUs
• Current allocations systems do not always foster
  long-term relationships
• Does current situation contribute /-
• Learning from private sector? Welcome
  packs/Welcome service???

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If we were to come up with a Day One service for
new tenants, to promote increased tenancy
sustainment

• What would it do, why, when would day one be, who
  would run it, who would fund it, how expensive
  would it be, what barriers would it face

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Comprehensive DAY ONE Service WHAT WOULD IT DO?

• Take a phone/camera/forms/packs
• Maintenance
• Registering with benefits
• Registering with utilities
• Help with furnishing the tenancy
• (CCG/EFI equivalent/other grants)

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Comprehensive Day One ServiceWHAT WOULD IT DO
cond

• Build Trust a Relationship
• More than handing out photocopy of telephone
  numbers
• Local knowledge introduce new tenants to the
  area/key people in area
• Functional Literacy issues
• Note not just professional intros

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Comprehensive DAY ONE Service Not just
professional introductions?

• Professional introductions important ie
  GP, DWP, Housing, others
• Key to sustainability, and settlement (or
  resettlement) is a positive sense of self, of
  worth, of belonging
• Feeling of winning rather than losing
• PTB me as a welcome economic resource
• me as a welcome social resource in my
• new area

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• Raise awareness among communities
• need to support people moving gthomelessness
• Help people integrate into the community
• eliminate risks effects of homelessness
• the excluded cannot include themselves
• a 2way link to and from communities is needed
• connecting to communities
• building lasting meaningful relationships
• creating a sense of being a stakeholder having
  some reason to stay or
• (depending on viewpoint) something to lose

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Ideas for a DAY ONE Service WHO COULD PROVIDE
SUCH A SERVICE?

• Any or all of the following (esp. landlords)
• Employers, Vol Sector, Community Group
  Landlordscan address resettlement issues
• Councils (/- Voluntary Sector)
• RSLs
• Private sector landlords (/- VS, LA)
• Volunteers/Paid Staff/Peer Support
• Good arguments in favour of each

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A Day One ServiceUse of Volunteers reduces
cost

• How useful is volunteering compared with paid
  workers? (nb neither is homogenous group)
• What are motivations of respective groups?
• CSV report Making a Difference Through
  Vounteering asked SUs (2006) It suggests
• Vols will be on my wavelength (relate)
• Vols do not watch the clock (time)
• SUs less fearful of accessing support from
• volunteers

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Key Point is the training support of staff
involved, paid or unpaidsee TRB practice

• as long as staff are trained, supported and
  managed properly, their personal experience (or
  lack of direct experience) ought not to be
  relevant they may not need to have been through
  the same situation to provide effective support
  know whats required of them
• if I break my leg I dont need to see a surgeon
  in a stookie
• Differing experiences can be crucial too
  clinicians sober/alcoholic lifestyle example

Good job
Ow my leg hurts
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A Day One Service idea - Realisinga great
untapped resource

• Peer support
• Including supporting PS groups
• Been it, Seen it, Done it Recognise it
• Those leaving homeless scene-huge resource
• Often want to give something back
• Experience is crucialand credible
• Fits with employability social networks agenda
• Prevents feeling of loss A Virtuous circleif
  supported well

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• Significant numbers of service users mentioned
  the benefit of peer support
• A great untapped resource utilising the
  experiences of those who have successfully exited
  a bad situation managed change
• View homelessness as we would do addictions
• Feedback from AA success looks like Eddie
  success stories are an inspiring motivating
  factor a new social network to develop new me
  new challenges to my fragile self-esteem?

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Why a Day One Service with peer support may be an
improvement?

• Seamless transition
• Support people to build new relationships link
  into existing support networks
• An active linkage, hands-on seamless transition
  relationship-based
• More than a piece of paper with numbers

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Why a Day One Service with peer support may be an
improvement?

• Employability
• (ex)Homeless people experience discrimination in
  job market (older people and BME groups
  especially)
• Peer support model helps create employment
  opportunities and volunteering options
  interest!
• Imp - Unpaid work is not inferior

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Why a Day One Service with peer support may be an
improvement?

• Opportunities for Meaningful Activity
• Important for individuals (ownership)
• Contribute to community
• Hit squads make places habitable
• Somewhere to be proud of
• Create a network that you choose

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Why a Day one Service with peersupport may be an
improvement?

• Social Networks Building
• Sustainable Communities
• Local community benefits as new long-term members
  join it houses occupied not empty or vandalised
  or squatted in employment shopping in local
  shops possibly getting off benefits

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EXAMPLES OF PEER SUPPORT employment, social
networks, success

• THAMES REACH (Bondway)
• 10 of workforce is made up of formerly homeless
  people
• Aim by 2009 to make that 15
• HOW HAVE THEY ACHIEVED THIS

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• TRB Traineeships
• Help to start a second career in voluntary
  sector
• take first steps towards financial independence
• to help combat discrimination in the job market
  (Homeless, unemployed, old, bme, others)
• foster an environment across the sector which
  accepts encourages employees who have personal
  experience of homelessness
• trainees coached to meet needs of a professional
  organisation
• Charity its service users benefit from
  volunteers first hand knowledge of homelessness
• they provide inspirational role models for others
  looking to rebuild their lives success looks
  like Eddie

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• TRB TRAINEESHIPS INCLUDE
• induction session covering issues such as
  professional boundaries, health safety,
  managing relapse
• ongoing training
• placement supervisor who offers support,
  direction, feedback, evaluation
• development opportunities chance to work in
  other areas of organisation and with different
  client groups or in IT, HR, Finance, face-to-face
  Support Work
• life-coach who can discuss concerns, stress
  levels, identity, work-life balance, financial
  worries
• assistance with job searching and interview
  preparation
• access to a peer support group for employees, to
  discuss issues experiences

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• The TRB Travel volunteering scheme helps
  homeless and vulnerable people to build their
  self-confidence, develop new skills and make
  their way back into the workforce.
• Travel participants attend an eight-week
  volunteering training course, which covers issues
  such as office etiquette, communication skills,
  teamwork, assertiveness and time management.
• They then spend two months working two days a
  week as a volunteer for Thames Reach.
• The volunteer placements vary to match the skills
  and experience of each participant.
• Previous jobs have included administration and
  reception duties, gardening, and running
  activities in one of TRBs hostels.

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• During their placements, volunteers are given
  support from their supervisor, the Travel tutor
  and a buddy within the office with whom they
  can share any concerns.
• They also have the chance to talk about their
  experiences in a peer support group that meets
  every fortnight.
• At the end of the scheme, Travel participants are
  helped to identify and achieve the next step
  forward in their lives.
• This may be more volunteering, education or
  training, or start looking for a paid job.

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A Day One ServiceTapping into a great resource

• Putting Principles Into Practice
• Employability Social Networks Building
  Sustainable Communities chance to give something
  back be supported
• From SU Consultation to Involvement
• The success of Passing the Baton

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Ideas for a DAY ONE ServiceWHEN is Day One?

• PLANNING is required to get it right
• Day One ready to go on day the keys are handed
  over
• Pre-tenancy work required benefits, furnishing,
  other issues
• What if keys taken at 4.35pm?

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A Day One ServiceBARRIERS TO THE SERVICE

• Furnishing
• Benefits
• Allocations Rent Voids
• Hostel/Temp Need paid for
• Limited influence

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A Day One ServiceFurniture - Barriers to be
Overcome

• Impossible to have free furniture on Day One
  under current funding restrictions without
  transport
• Even if funded adequatelyno guarantees of having
  required items
• Why reliance on donations not in control of
  stock or supply, difficulty of advance planning

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A Day One ServiceFinancial Barriers to be
Overcome

• Implications for benefits (ie HB, Central Govt
  limited influence)
• for CCG/Social Fund (unpredictable? Takes time,
  unlikely to be on time)
• for LA/RSL/hostels/temp accomm
• tension between aims of allocationsvoids vs
  sustainability

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STARTING TENANCIES RIGHTIdeas for a DAY ONE
Service

• HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
• May get a different answer depending on who you
  ask
• A service of this type, aimed at promoting
  sustainability as the key overriding principle,
  would have widespread possible cost implications

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A Day One ServiceHow Much Would It Cost

• Interested parties would include
• Housing Benefit Allocations/Voids Furniture
  providers Social Fund
• Additional resources would be needed for
  support/management structure equipment phones
  cameras training recruitment of additional
  staff

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Ideas for a DAY ONE ServiceValue for Money???

• HOW MUCH COULD IT SAVE?
• Cost of tenancies not being sustained (24,000
  per tenancy?)
• An effective way of targeting tackling the very
  reasons people site as reasons for non-sustainment