Single homeless people in Kent and Medway face a ‘non-system’ of support according to an independent report commissioned by Kent homeless charity Porchlight.
The research, conducted by the University of Kent, and entitled ‘Slipping through the net’ was launched at Porchlight’s ‘Rough Night’ conference on 27th January. It sets out to present a snap shot of how agencies, single homeless people and the services that are set up to assist them are perceived by each other.
Porchlight Chief Executive Mike Barrett said, “The purpose of the report is to generate debate and enable both ‘sides’ to enter into open and honest dialogue. It is my hope that this will further improve joint working and allow us all to gain a deeper understanding of the problems faced by both providers of services and those who need to use them.”
Single homeless people interviewed expressed a feeling of being pushed from ‘pillar to post.’ Different definitions of ‘homeless’ are highlighted as major cause of the problem with official council estimates of homelessness referring to homeless people who approach them and who are accepted as eligible and in priority need. The report states that this group represents only half of the people who approach councils as homeless. The research calls for, “…a better balance between local need and local provision. Supporting People can only distribute funding to agencies which exist; it cannot wish agencies into existence in districts where there is need for them.”
Everyone involved in supporting vulnerable and homeless people must understand how this feels for people seeking shelter and support explained the charity’s Chief Executive.
“The fact that many individuals in our society are already frightened, frustrated and angry may go someway to helping practitioners understand why vulnerable people vanish or do not respond positively to being told that they need to find their own way; this in a housing market that is out of their reach in terms of affordability and supply.”
“We hope that the report is received in a spirit of cooperation and is the catalyst to get agencies, organisations and government talking about how we can work better together in partnership. Eventually we want this to mean that people no longer slip through gaps in the system,” said Mr Barrett.
The report is launched in the backdrop of the government’s ‘No-one left out’ strategy which aims to end rough sleeping in England by 2012. As part of this strategy Porchlight was named as an ‘Ending Rough Sleeping Champion’ and asked to share the best practice of its rough sleeper service, one of the largest in the country.
Download and read the full report…
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
About the report:
1. ‘Slipping through the net’ is an independent piece of research conducted by the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent and commissioned by Porchlight.
2. The research is based on 91 interviews with local authorities, prison and probation services, addiction and mental health units, agencies providing housing and services and single homeless people.
About Porchlight:
3. Porchlight is a Kent wide independent local charity that works to support single, vulnerable homeless people or those at risk of homelessness. It was established in 1974 as Canterbury Cyrenians and works throughout Kent.
4. Porchlight has accommodation based projects in Canterbury, Dover, Ashford and Ramsgate. The outreach team works with street homeless people as well as supporting former homeless people in their own homes, to prevent them returning to street life. Other services support people in their own homes who are at risk of becoming homeless.
5. In 2008-9 Porchlight helped over 1,600 vulnerable people. Porchlight projects include:
Kent Outreach: Our street outreach team work across Kent providing support for rough sleepers and people in temporary accommodation. They provide drop-in sessions, a free phone helpline number 0800 567 7699 and work within prisons to help offenders who will be released from prison homeless.
Young Persons Services: This includes a direct access hostel, longer stay hostel and shared house, providing support for a number years, until each individual is ready to live independently.
Mental Health: We run a housing project in Dover specifically for people with enduring mental ill-health. We also provide support to 7 clients in another purpose built accommodation project in Margate. In addition we also have a young persons’ mental health service that enables young homeless people with mental health problems to better access the health services they need.
General Accommodation: We have hostels in Canterbury, Dover, Ashford and Ramsgate. They range in the levels of support provided from high support needs with staff available 24hrs a day, to medium support with staff available on a 9-5pm basis.
Floating Support: This is a preventative service that provides support to vulnerable people in their own home who are at risk of becoming homeless. Many of these clients have been through the hostel system and are almost ready to live independently but just need a little support every now and again.
Training and Service User Involvement: We have a team that works with people accessing any of our services and helps them develop their skills and education. We provide tailored training and encourage people to get involved in the running and improvement of their project, or volunteer on a more formal level in the organisation. Porchlight is committed to involving our service users throughout all the activities of the charity. They are actively encouraged to become involved in education, employment, volunteering and service user involvement opportunities.
