Date:
Time:
Thursday 2 May 2024
10:00-11:30am
With government figures showing that 52,800 households were accepted by their local council as homeless in 2022/23 – up 24% year on year – and a 27% rise in the number of people sleeping rough, housing associations cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal to provide the homes and support people need to escape homelessness.
The Homes for Cathy commitments provide a framework for organisations to prioritise action and benchmark progress. Six years since we launched the original commitments with Crisis, we are refreshing them to include new objectives and reflect best practice.
Join our online event on 2 May 2024, 10am-11.30am via Teams to learn about the key changes to the commitments, hear how members are embedding them in their organisations, and explore best practice approaches to our new commitment to remove the barriers that disadvantage some groups experiencing homelessness from accessing the housing and support they need.
Agenda & speakers:
| 10:00 | Welcome and introduction Our journey to updating the commitments The key changes and rationale | David Bogle, CEO Hightown Housing Association & Chair, Homes for Cathy |
| 10:10 | Embedding the commitments in your organisation Getting Executive & Board buy in Engaging with staff and wider stakeholders on homelessness Annual reporting – the value of KPIs (eg monitoring evictions, acceptances & refusals) and sharing your success Q&A | Michael Newey, CEO Broadland Housing Association & Board Member, Homes for Cathy |
| 10:35 | Best practice sessions – approaching new Commitment #4 To work with local authorities and others to understand and remove the barriers that disadvantage some applicants with a background of homelessness, including people from ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ community and migrants from accessing housing association properties and services | Introduction – David Bogle |
| 10:40 | Tackling the disproportionality of homelessness among minority ethnic groups: What are the unique set of challenges experienced by people from minority ethnic backgrounds affected by homelessness? How can housing associations break down barriers to be more accessible to minority ethnic groups? How as a sector can we better equipped to meet their needs? | Henri Baptiste, BME National/Pathway Housing Solutions and Kai Jackson, TPAS Associate |
| 11:05 | Supporting the accommodation of people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants who are homeless: Why should housing associations step up? What types of accommodation can housing associations provide and what are the legalities? How can we foster links and partner with refugee and migrant charities to provide tailored support? | Bridget Young, CEO, NACCOM |
| 11:3 | Closing remarks | David Bogle |