The social landlords making Housing First work

Leave a reply

Homes for Cathy hears from three member organisations that have played a role in getting Housing First schemes off the ground to discover the challenges housing associations face in making the model a success.

Developed in the US in the 80s and adopted with widespread success in mainland Europe, Housing First is an evidence-based approach to homelessness intervention that has gained significant momentum in the UK over the past three years.

Heralded as a solution to our growing rough sleeping crisis, the approach takes entrenched rough sleepers with high and complex needs off the streets and into permanent accommodation with intensive, tailored and open-ended support.  Unlike traditional approaches to homelessness intervention, with Housing First no preconditions are placed on individuals, only a willingness to maintain their tenancy agreement.  Individuals are not required to address any other needs they might have, or engage with other services, in order to keep their home.

The model has attracted high profile support; in 2017 Theresa May pledged £28 million to fund three regional Housing First pilots in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands, the Scottish government is investing £6.5 million in a three year Housing First roll-out and in Wales, £700,000 has been allocated by the government for Housing First schemes.  

Aside from these pilots, many more Housing First schemes have been launched at local level – around two thirds of these have been funded by local authorities, usually through Housing Related Support budgets, according to Housing First England.

Social landlords have been called upon to help get schemes off the ground, by providing both accommodation and in some cases the wraparound support that is intrinsic to making the model work.  However, the relative infancy of Housing First in the UK means the model represents uncharted waters for most housing associations, and many face a steep learning curve in establishing schemes. 

Securing funding and pilot projects

Gaining board approval and securing funding is only the tip of the iceberg in what can be a lengthy process.  Homes for Cathy member, Soha Housing, worked with its key local authority, South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC), which put up joint funding for a pilot project of six properties from Soha’s housing stock. 

Maureen Adams, Soha’s Director of Services and Communities, comments:

“SODC helped establish a Project Board and provided access to homeless people with complex needs, suggesting ways to manage the risks and establish a framework that would be acceptable to homeless people, the local community, and politicians alike.

“We then worked with Aspire, a local specialist charity with expertise in homelessness and staff skilled in handling vulnerability and substance misuse, who provided extensive pre-engagement activity with service users.”

Stephanie Wood, Head of Supported Housing at Homes for Cathy member Sovereign Housing, which is involved with Housing First schemes in West Berkshire and on the Isle of Wight in partnership with charity Two Saints, says:

“Housing associations need to consider that it can take a very long time to get Housing First schemes up and running.  A lot of work happens to get everyone on the same page before a person is housed, from identifying suitable people through to building their trust and getting their buy in.  Every stakeholder in the project needs to be realistic about the timescales involved, particularly as there are usually multiple agencies working together.”

Establishing eligibility

Establishing eligibility is an important part of the process.  While stakeholders involved in setting up schemes may have a good knowledge of individuals who would be suitable, in a multi-agency approach, ideas can differ. 

Daniel Revell-Wiseman, Care and Supported Housing Contracts Manager for Hightown Housing Association, which is working with both St Albans District Council and Dacorum Borough Council in Hemel Hempstead to launch a Housing First scheme, comments:

“Working across areas can be a challenge, as in each area there can be differing needs in terms of who is a priority for housing. Having a strong criteria for the service is therefore essential in order to easily assess the individuals who could benefit the most.”

The longer timescales necessary to identify suitable tenants and carry out pre-engagement work can have ramifications for landlords in terms of the accommodation they have identified for schemes. 

Daniel adds:

“To be true to the Housing First model, we should identify the service user first and then find suitable property.  However, in reality, we have found possible properties before we have had referrals.  It can be a challenge to have homes available at the point you need them – registered providers need to be prepared for longer void periods as a result.”

Flexible approach

Indeed, flexibility is key to making the model work – for Sovereign this was a matter of re-thinking pre-conceived ideas of what type of accommodation would be suitable.

Stephanie Wood says:

“Previously, we had set principles of what our Housing First homes should look like – for example, not in a town centre so service users could not go back to their old way of life.  However, we’ve come to realise that the best type of accommodation is always very specific to the resident.  Now we take time to match the accommodation to the individual, and although they don’t go through choice based lettings, we do offer them some flexibility about where they want to go.”

One of the biggest learning curves for housing associations is around formalising new processes and systems that meet the Housing First approach, establishing what is and what isn’t needed and adapting the existing mindset within their organisation.

Sovereign reviewed its tenancy agreement and tenancy sign up processes to better suit the Housing First model, making the meeting to go through the tenancy agreement a different day to the sign up itself.  This approach has minimised potential distractions and allowed staff time to spend setting expectations, while giving tenants the opportunity to process the information and ask questions. 

Sign up takes place in a neutral place other than Sovereign’s offices or the accommodation, to provide a less intimidating, less formal environment.

Stephanie adds:

“It’s all about gaining the trust of the tenant; they may have had a bad experience with a housing association or other service provider in the past, for example in a hostel the service provider runs.”

Once Housing First tenants are in their accommodation, flexibility around rent is also crucial to making the model work. 

Comments Stephanie:

“We’re offering fixed term tenancies, so we’re carrying a big chunk of risk.  Despite this, we have had to be more relaxed in terms of collecting rent.  For example, we recently had a hiccup with a Universal Credit application – our income team reported that no application had been processed, but because the tenant was flagged up on our system as Housing First, we did not pursue the normal income recovery procedures.”

Measuring success

So far, all three housing associations report positive feedback from the Housing First schemes in which they’re involved, however with a model that centres on open-ended support, continued funding remains a key consideration.   

Soha’s Maureen Adams concludes:

“Several months after the scheme was launched, Soha has housed 13 nominations and is moving people who would be difficult to house through traditional choice based lettings routes into homes where they want to live. 

“It’s been an important new venture that staff and residents are backing, including our chief executive, who helped steer it through at board level.  However, gathering evidence of the scheme’s success will be imperative, particularly as we plan to approach other public funded bodies to seek additional funding in order to extend the project. To this end, we have commissioned an independent evaluation by a social research agency to ensure we are adhering to the Housing First principles.”

For more information on Housing First, including guidance and toolkits for social landlords, visit Housing First England.

Is your organisation involved in a Housing First scheme?  We would love to hear about your experiences, the challenges you have faced and advice you would give to other organisations looking to implement the approach.  Email us at homesfor.cathy@hightownha.org.uk.

Trial furniture scheme ensures social housing properties are ready to move into

1 Reply

Commitment 7 of the Homes for Cathy commitments is to ‘ensure that properties offered to homeless people should be ready to move into’.  According to Crisis’ ‘Everybody In’ plan to end homelessness, social housing properties offered without furniture and white goods, carpets and wall coverings deter people on low incomes from taking them up.  This issue was consistently raised during the consultation process to develop the plan, as well as being highlighted by staff running homelessness services.  Without the means to make social housing properties ready to move into, people on low incomes can often be pushed towards private rented sector properties; these might be equipped with furniture and white goods, but they offer less security and higher rents. 

Using local networks to source furniture and white goods

Commitment 7 is about encouraging housing associations to use their local networks to identify sources of cheap or free furniture or helping tenants to access affordable financing so they can make their own purchases.  Homes for Cathy member Flagship Group, which manages and maintains over 28,000 homes in the eastern region, rose to the challenge on both fronts.  The housing association recently partnered with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to create a trial ‘furniture scheme’ to provide vouchers for customers in need of necessary household items. 

The idea for the scheme came from Flagship’s housing officers recognising that some families could benefit from having a home that was ready to move into, helping them reduce any initial expenditure.

The trial lasted six weeks and in this time 13 housing officers provided 22 vouchers to customers in need. The vouchers were redeemable at local BHF stores, giving customers the opportunity to choose their own furniture. The most requested items were white goods. The scheme provided £3,599 worth of necessary household items, over the six-week period.

One of the customers to benefit from the scheme was Miss Mongan, who was recently rehomed by Flagship Homes after being in refuge. As a single parent of two young children and in receipt of Universal Credit, she found it difficult to pay rent and save for a much-needed washing machine. Miss Mongan confided in her housing officer Paula, as she didn’t feel like she could do her job as a mother, having to hand wash her children’s clothes and bedding. 

Helping tenants avoid slipping into rent arrears

Paula said, “I didn’t want her to slip into arrears and I knew she needed help as soon as possible. I wanted to see if there was anything we could do and that’s when I contacted our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager. Miss Mongan was so thrilled when I gave her the good news and it was great to help someone in a difficult situation. I think this trial is great.”

Miss Mongan said, “It was a God send. I cannot thank Paula enough, she’s been fantastic throughout the process and has supported me since day one. Thanks to Flagship too, the washing machine has helped me out of big hole.”

Callum James, Flagship Group’s CSR manager commented, “It is great to work with the BHF and see so many benefits, particularly to our new customers who have recently been homeless. The trial was very successful in ensuring that our homes are ready to move in to, we’re exploring how we may be able to embed and sustain initiatives such as this longer term to make a real difference to our customers.”

For more information about the scheme, contact Flagship Communication Team on commsteam@flagship-group.co.uk.

Successful tenancies start at the top

Leave a reply

Recent welfare reforms including the introduction of Universal Credit have made affording rent harder than ever in recent years. In response, many Homes for Cathy members have introduced tenancy sustainment initiatives, helping thousands of tenants facing financial hardship to stay in their homes.  Homes for Cathy spoke to Christine Ashton, Executive Director of Housing at emh group to discover how the organisation is making sustainable tenancies its mission…

The shift towards ‘Housing First’ is a welcome and humane change in the way organisations respond to homelessness. But it makes sustainable lives, homes and tenancies more important than ever.

Securing a permanent home if you’ve been sleeping on the streets or living in temporary accommodation only counts as a success if you’re then able to use it as the springboard to a better and more settled life. There’s not much point in gaining the short-term relief of a property if your financial, health, family or other circumstances mean that you end up homeless again within a few months. Similarly, housing providers can’t expect vulnerable people with little or no experience of successful independent living to thrive in new tenancies without appropriate personal support.

A whole-organisation commitment

At emh group, we have business plan commitments to both help prevent homelessness and proactively address the impact of welfare reforms – with performance measures to check what difference we make. These top-level aims feed down into everyday decisions about who we house and the kinds of extra support we and our partners can offer to help people sustain their tenancies.

We do this through a detailed sustainability assessment toolkit, an in-house financial inclusion team and a network of partnerships with local money advice agencies, specialist services and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Together, these give previously homeless people the best chance of sustaining their tenancy. It’s an approach that maximises our ability to offer the intensive and wide-ranging kinds of help that so many people need.

The assessment starts well before someone is offered a home; as soon as we get details of a potential nomination from one of our 45 partner councils, or there’s an upcoming transfer or exchange. We consider each person according to a matrix that weighs up their disposable income against a dozen other personal circumstances to produce an overall risk rating for tenancy sustainability.

The checklist includes factors like age, mental and physical health, benefits entitlement and status, debts, previous tenancies and any history of drug or alcohol misuse, domestic violence or offending to help us objectively gauge each person’s prospects of success in an emh tenancy.

Based on this assessment, we mobilise different levels of support to give every new resident the best combination of housing and help. This varies from straightforward extra contact and checks by our neighbourhood teams, up to comprehensive input from agencies and networks specialising in money advice, family support, mental health or disability.

In exceptional cases, if we feel someone’s needs are more than we and our partners can cater for, we review the nomination – working with the person themselves and the council to explore the best option. We’re honest and up-front about our concerns, and do all we can to help them find a more suitable housing route. Everyone needs to live somewhere of course, but we’re clear about what we can and cannot do, and take our responsibilities for the safety of staff and comfort of other residents seriously. Above all, we want people’s tenancies to succeed.

Clear results

Through joined-up thinking and by targeting our time and resources onto the people we can help most, we’ve achieved some impressive gains, such as:

  • Over £4 million in extra benefits income for residents over the past five years via our Financial Inclusion Team
  • Almost £1 million in additional benefits delivered by Citizens Advice and other local partners in the last two years
  • Greatly improved joint working with DWP and Job Centre Plus to support the more than 2,500 residents now receiving Universal Credit, people with complex needs and help with training and employment
  • Swifter and more streamlined action on rent arrears, which has seen current debts fall to 3.12% of annual rent receivable
  • Closer links with voluntary groups to safeguard vulnerable people and make the best use of our housing stock
  • Greater use of non-legal sanctions and injunctions for anti-social behaviour, with eviction as a last resort.

Doing more together

The scale and social impact of the homelessness crisis demands that we keep on seeking ways to do more. Collaboration is vital – from leasing properties to help local authorities meet their statutory duties to staff donating clothes, toiletries and other essentials to previously homeless people when they move in. Our teams also contribute to a lunchbox scheme, which makes sure that children get a decent midday meal during the school holidays. We’re supporting the National Housing Federation’s Hacking Homelessness project, which focuses on making better, data-driven decisions to prevent evictions. In one case, this monitoring showed that we contacted the resident 263 times to help them sustain their tenancy. And through case clinics, we constantly review how we could act differently or more quickly to help people achieve better outcomes.

We’re clear that it’s up to organisations like ours to take a lead, and believe that partnerships and imagination are the keys to success. We’re happy to share our experience and methods of what works for us, to free the next generation from the misery and blight of homelessness.

Christine Ashton 

Executive Director of Housing

emh group

How is your organisation putting the Homes for Cathy commitments into practice at operational level?  Share your ‘Good Practice’ story by downloading our template and emailing it to us at homesfor.cathy@hightownha.org.uk.

Helping homeless people access mental health support

Leave a reply

Evidence shows that there is a significant link between homelessness and mental health problems.  According to Homeless Link, 80 per cent of homeless people in England reported that they had mental health issues, with 45 per cent having been diagnosed with a mental health condition.  Research by Homes for Cathy member Evolve points to childhood trauma as a contributory factor – its ‘Breaking the cycle of trauma report’ found that 80 per cent of homeless customers surveyed had suffered at least one childhood trauma. 

Mental health and homelessness can be a vicious circle, with homelessness causing mental health problems, and mental health problems often being the reason people become homeless.  Sadly, homeless people can face considerable barriers in terms of accessing the mental health services that could support them.  Many homeless people live with multiple and complex needs; this, combined with other factors such as the lack of a fixed address and even loss of confidence and self-esteem, can make it impossible for them to use traditional support systems.  

Research by another Homes for Cathy member, the homelessness charity St Mungo’s, reveals that many homeless people ‘fall through the gaps in legislation and local services’, the result of a shortfall in locally commissioned services that actively target their needs. 

Work is being done by Homes for Cathy members to address the issue.  Charity Evolve, which provides supported housing to homeless people across London, is raising funds to provide free, in-house, non-location specific counselling services to its customers, making mental health support easily accessible for those who need it.  According to its research, 76% of people who have accessed its service report better mental health and are more able to cope with life.   

Debra Ives, Head of Operations at Evolve, says: “Counselling is one of the best tools for dealing with trauma but it must be available quickly to have an impact. Our counselling is free, on site and available irrelevant of where the customer moves to.”

Evolve is putting clients’ mental health top of the agenda with in-house counselling services

Meanwhile, Hightown Housing Association’s Open Door homelessness service has partnered with local mental health providers Hertfordshire Mind Network and Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT), to deliver weekly support sessions direct to users of its shelter.

The scheme – announced to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May 2019) – will give the shelter’s service users direct access to care for mental health issues without the need to register with a GP, travel to appointments, or provide a fixed address and phone number. 

Carla Watson, Open Door Scheme Manager, comments: “Imagine you lose your job, a loved one dies and you don’t have any savings. You are evicted from your home and lose most of your possessions. You’re now sleeping rough or staying in a homeless shelter. It feels like you are losing control of your life, your mental health is at an all-time low but you lack the confidence and self-esteem to seek help.  You give up and accept things may never get better.”

“I saw first-hand how often this happens to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. At Open Door we decided that if things were going to change, we needed to persuade mental health services to come to us. The services are bookable and available on a one-to-one basis, but without a waiting list or the need to have fixed contact details. 

“Another way people can fall through the cracks in services is if they don’t have a phone number, they can’t get an appointment. When the sessions are held at Open Door, we can encourage and refer residents on their behalf.”

Carla Watson, Hightown Housing Association’s Open Door Scheme Manager has implemented in-house mental health support sessions

Mental health charity Hertfordshire Mind Network is now offering mental health drop-in sessions at Open Door once a week to help service users with issues such as anxiety, loneliness and isolation, depression, anger and loss, while NHS provider HPFT will also run standalone mental health support sessions. 

Carla adds: “It’s still early days but the appetite from residents to improve their mental health is there – we have had good attendance every week.

“This exercise has taught us a valuable lesson. If things aren’t working, be proactive, look for a solution and work in partnership with other organisations. Ultimately, it’s the people who matter most and we’re committed to fighting for their right to have the same opportunities as others to access vital services and improve their life.”

Homes for Cathy commitments help us deliver social purpose

Leave a reply

First published on Inside Housing, 6th March 2019

Michael Newey

Broadland Housing Group joined Homes for Cathy back in 2016 when it was about marking the 50th anniversary of the first screening of Cathy Come Home and reminding people that homelessness is still a cancer in our society.

It was relatively safe to become members, beat the drum and perhaps feel warmly complacent about how much we were actually doing to address homelessness in our communities.

A year later, the anniversaries were over – Homes for Cathy members had held events, debates and plays nationally and locally to encourage politicians, professionals and communities to focus on homelessness.

“These actions are all about partnership working”

Collectively we had lamented the wrongs of the ‘system’ and called for meaningful changes to public policy. Was that it? Had we done what was needed or was the real work still to come? We concluded the latter.

In 2017, we opened up the Home for Cathy membership to any housing association frustrated about the increasing homelessness and willing to do something about it.

Working with Crisis, we developed nine challenging actions for housing associations to commit to that we believe will make a significant difference.

These actions are all about partnership working – not just with local authorities and policymakers, but most importantly with people at risk of homelessness and those who are already homeless.

We went to our board and asked them to commit to all nine actions, including the potentially more challenging ones, which for us were:

  • Not making any tenant seeking to prevent their homelessness, homeless
  • Helping to meet the needs of vulnerable tenant groups
  • Working in partnership to provide a range of affordable housing options which meet the needs of all homeless people in our local communities
  • Contributing to ending migrant homelessness in our area

Preventing making tenants’ homeless means avoiding evictions for arrears that are hugely damaging, particularly children, and also expensive for us.

Where tenants positively engage, we will freeze arrears – subject to regular reviews and rent being paid in the future. When circumstances improve, a sustainable repayment plan is agreed. We hope that this will enable people to stay in their homes.

Regarding vulnerable groups, we decided to focus on single people – primarily under 35 – working with partners, we wanted to identify initially 10 properties for shared housing.

Working in partnership with Norwich City Council and St Martins, we proposed identifying six properties for a Housing First pilot so we can meet the needs of the homeless people locally.

Working with Norfolk County Council, we asked to make four properties available, at a peppercorn rent if necessary, for migrant families who have been judged to have no recourse to public funds while they resolve their situations.

The board has always supported our Homes for Cathy involvement, but we asked for a commitment that will cost us money and expose us to different risks.

I couldn’t take approval for granted but I got 100% support.

Our board felt the commitments helped deliver our social purpose and that, while the health of the balance sheet is vital, it is primarily a tool to deliver our purpose.

Michael Newey, chief executive, Broadland Housing Group

To hear more from our members on how they are implementing the Homes for Cathy commitments, join us at our annual conference. Book tickets here.

Croydon Council and Crystal Palace FC team up to help rough sleepers

1 Reply

Rough sleepers in Croydon can now get emergency shelter at a Premier League football stadium in extreme weather conditions under a deal between the council and Crystal Palace FC.

The football club and Croydon Council have entered into an agreement where a lounge at Selhurst Park is turned into a temporary overnight shelter for up 10 rough sleepers whenever night time temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing.

Under the deal, people formally identified as rough sleeping are referred by outreach staff to Selhurst Park, where they are welcomed with a camp bed for the night, a hot evening meal, breakfast and washing facilities.

The space is converted back for normal club use each morning, when specialists from the council’s Gateway homelessness prevention service and Thames Reach support workers offer longer-term accommodation, financial advice and help with any medical needs to prevent these rough sleepers from returning to the streets.

The arrangement with Crystal Palace takes effect whenever London temperatures are forecast to hit zero degrees or colder, which triggers the council’s severe weather emergency protocol. This emergency shelter is in addition to rough sleeper referrals who go to the Croydon Churches’ Floating Shelter throughout the winter.

When Selhurst Park is unavailable because of home matches, the council will continue to refer rough sleepers to other emergency shelters in Croydon and central London.

Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and Gateway services, said: “Freezing temperatures are a particular safety risk for rough sleepers and this is a wonderful gesture by Crystal Palace for helping us reduce that risk. I do hope that the actions and support of our local Premier League football club will encourage more businesses in Croydon to get in touch and do what they can to help us address homelessness.  Crystal Palace are setting a standard for other clubs to follow.”

Crystal Palace Football Club chief executive Phil Alexander said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Croydon Council and their partner agencies to ensure that rough sleepers can find an emergency shelter in the event of severe winter weather. The club wants to be a force for good in the community and we are happy to do our bit to help those most in need. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who have given their time freely to make this happen, including club staff, as well as to Sainsbury’s Crystal Palace for donating food.”

Crystal Palace Football Club has a strong relationship with the charity Crisis. First-team stars Mamadou Sakho and Christian Benteke visited the Crisis Skylight Centre for homeless people in Croydon last month.

A second chance, Leo’s story

Leave a reply

Homes for Cathy member, One Housing shares how Leo went from sleeping rough, to becoming a teaching assistant.


Arlington resident, Leo is on track to achieving his goal of qualifying as a teacher in the UK, thanks to the help of our Employment & Training (E&T) service and Beam crowdfunding enterprise.

“My life was crumbling before my eyes and I felt helpless. The dedicated staff at Arlington believed in me and gave me the resources I needed to pursue my goals of getting back to teaching and serving the community.”

So says 47-year-old Leo, a teacher from Brazil. Having moved back to London after living abroad, Leo struggled to find work. Before long he found himself sleeping on the streets and struggling with depression. He moved to Arlington about a year ago after being referred to us by Focus Homeless Outreach, an outreach service for street homeless people and homeless people in hostels. 

Since moving to Arlington, Leo has attended several of our training programs that have helped him to get back on his feet. 

Training Coordinator, Santiago, worked with Leo to pursue his goals of being a teacher for children with special needs through a series of personal development training sessions. The Employment & Training service sponsored Level 1 and 2 of the Teaching Assistant programme. Leo passed both courses successfully, and is now working as a part-time teaching assistant at a school for children with special needs. 

“Leo was keen to attend our training sessions and re-build his confidence after his mental health problems. He’s a proactive resident who loves to participate in our programmes and is great to have around”, commented Santiago.

Leo’s passion to get back into teaching and back to a steady life also excited one of our partner agencies, Beam. This is a new online platform that uses crowdfunding to get homeless people into training that will help them find good opportunities. Leo worked with Beam to set a target of £725 to cover his courses. Within a month, he attracted well-wishers to donate to his cause, making him the first successful member of Beam to get funded for the advanced level 3 programme of Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education. 

Once completed, Leo will be eligible to look for full-time teaching work in the UK and move on from Arlington.

HARP’s White Heather House – Women’s Only Hostel

Leave a reply

Jackie Bliss, Chief Executive at HARP, Southend’s Homelessness Charity, reflects on the opening of their Women’s Only Hostel.

It is no secret that homelessness is on the rise.  Although HARP – the leading homelessness charity in Southend-on-Sea, Essex – has seen a reduction in long-term rough sleepers on our streets in recent years, the demand for our services continues to rise as more and more people find themselves facing homelessness.

Until the introduction of our women’s hostel just last year, HARP was providing accommodation for over 150 people every night – people that might otherwise be on the streets .  Now, we are able to accommodate up to 174 people thanks to our newest hostel: White Heather House.  But unlike any of our other services, or indeed anything else provided locally, White Heather House is a unique and innovative project that serves to do so much more than simply to provide a safe place to sleep for local women that have found themselves in crisis.

Around 25% of the people that we support are women, and they can often have a very different journey to their male counterparts.  Within the female homeless population, there are high levels of vulnerability, and the circumstances that lead up to women’s homelessness are often complex.  Many of the women who have experienced sleeping rough report having experienced abuse of some kind, and this will often lead them to look for ways to avoid sleeping on the streets.  It is this avoidance which further impacts their wellbeing, as they spend time “sofa surfing” or choose to remain in abusive relationships in order to retain a roof over their heads.

The introduction of our single-gender environment allows HARP to provide a less intimidating entry point to homeless services to these women, in a supportive and understanding environment.  Already, this is improving and broadening the support available, empowering women to make positive changes in their lives as well as providing peer support for them from other women who are equally experiencing the loneliness and isolation which so often results from homelessness.  Over the first six months following its opening, HARP’s White Heather House achieved a 73% improvement in outcomes for its residents compared with women in our mixed-gender accommodation.

For many, a disadvantaged upbringing and a dysfunctional family life can make working through the resultant turmoil extremely challenging.  By the time people arrive at HARP, crisis point has been reached and the journey back to a happy and healthy life can be daunting.  But with the support of our specialist team at White Heather House, working closely with other specialist local agencies, the road to recovery for women overcoming homelessness is being embraced in an environment which nurtures personal growth and development, and improves their life chances too.

Homelessness is a complex issue and whilst it has been well documented that there is a shortage of affordable housing and a rise in the cost of living – particularly in Southend-on-Sea where high costs of housing collide with relatively low average rates of take-home pay – these are often just the catalysts for becoming homeless.  There is generally a multitude of underlying issues that build up over time and, without confronting these, finding and being able to sustain accommodation is unlikely to happen for many.  This is why, at HARP, we take a proactive approach to making positive change for all our clients, encouraging all who use our service to access a variety of support networks that collectively will help them to regain their independence.

These pathways include:

  • liaison with private sector landlords
  • the provision of a varied programme of meaningful activities for service users, designed to improve their self-esteem, confidence and self-awareness
  • training opportunities to boost employability
  • addiction therapy to tackle any alcohol or substance misuse
  • access to medical services
  • provision of hot, nutritious meals
  • shower, washing and laundry facilities
  • and, of course, a friendly ear for when the journey feels too tough.

It is this holistic approach to tackling homelessness that empowers the people we work with to overcome their personal issues and to move on successfully.

Photo 3 - Heather Mills at WHH - web ready.jpg

In April this year we were joined by media personality, businesswoman and activist Heather Mills, who officially opened White Heather House and spent time talking to our residents there about her own recovery, following a period of homelessness in her youth.  These women were thrilled that someone so successful would take the time to visit and talk with them, and many reported afterwards how inspired they had felt by the passionate account Heather had given about her own journey.

It is our mission at HARP to support people facing homelessness to not just find a new home, but to work with them to break down the barriers which are preventing them from overcoming homelessness.  Now, our new women’s hostel at White Heather House is empowering more local women to realise their potential and to follow a structured and supported pathway to a meaningful and successful future.

 

Spending the night in a cardboard box is the least we can do

Leave a reply

Sarah Boast, from MHS Homes Group, tells us how spending a night sleeping rough changed her perspective on homelessness.

When my colleague first pitched the idea of sleeping in a card board box in our car park next to the open river for 12 hours in January, I can’t say I leapt for joy.

But I signed up nonetheless, sure it would be totally eye-opening and insightful, hopeful to raise lots of money and support for a Kent homeless charity, Porchlight.

And it was completely shocking.

I’ve never felt so vulnerable. Though tucked up very tightly in my sleeping bag and box, I still felt scared, knowing those two items were all that protected me from the outside world, its elements, a fox that was lurking nearby and plenty of river rats.

I’d heard the horrors but never realised how exposed and susceptible people who are homeless actually are.

And we had it easy – with palettes, cardboard and soup all donated to us from lots of local companies.

big-sleep-out1.jpg

We also had the support of one another. About 50 of us took part in the event, spurring each other on and making what seemed like an unbearable challenge somewhat easier.

But imagine what it’s like to not have anyone. No family, no support network around you. So lonely that you must ask for help on the streets and passers by don’t even want to look at you.

That’s why we, at mhs homes, host a Big Sleep Out every other year in winter – to raise funds and awareness and to support a local homeless charity. This year we supported Porchlight and raised more than £10,000.

“Porchlight allows people to escape the misery of the streets and begin to recover from the damaging effects of homelessness. It gives people support with their mental health and wellbeing, and helps them get back into education or employment. It also works with people who are at risk of becoming homeless and need help to stay on track”, said Chris Thomas, Communicatins Co-ordinator at the Canterbury-based charity.

I’m unbelievably proud to work for a housing association that does so much to support local charities and local people too.

The Big Sleep Out always gets lots of support from local businesses, councillors and politicians.

This year we had several stakeholders take part as well as three councillors and MP Tracey Crouch, who had just been appointed as minister for loneliness.

At the time of the event Government had just committed funding to tackle the problem of rough sleeping but I questioned if it’d go far enough to tackle the housing crisis, at a time when Shelter estimated 300,000 people in Great Britain sleeping rough.

According to Porchlight, homelessness in Kent rose 38% in the past year. It’s the seventh year in a row homelessness has increased across the county.

We’re pledging to build at least 600 homes over the next three years and will continue to work closely with our partners and local authorities to ensure that we do all we can to prevent homelessness.

The Big Sleep Out was challenging but completely eye-opening. It’s the very least we can do.

If you’d like to find out more about our Big Sleep Out, what we do or to donate email communications@mhs.org.uk.

Thank you.