£1.7m Initiative to Improve Homeless Services
- 10 Apr
The government has announced a 'Gold Standard' initiative to improve the homelessness services in England.
It will be funded with £1.7 million to give training and support to local authorities, for them to improve their prevention services and adopt the No Second Night Out scheme.Under the new initiative, councils are given standards that they must achieve to gain 'gold standard status'.
These include offering a comprehensive prevention service, helping householders faced with repossession and adopting the no second night out scheme, which has been effectively used in areas of England so far to prevent a person spending a second night sleeping rough.
The first ten councils to achieve the status will give advice and support to other local authorities who have not yet managed it.
Prevention is the key to the new initiative, and the government are expecting to save as it will reduce the need for costly emergency support such as bed and breakfast accommodation.
A large portion of the funding will be used to set up the National Practicioner Support, which is a support team from Winchester council for free training and support to local authorities. They will also help councils find areas that they need to improve by setting up an online toolkit.
This will be supported by the current National Homelessness Advice Service.
Housing minister Mark Prisk said:
We have one of the strongest safety nets in the world against homelessness, backed with £470m government funding. It is vital this continues to protect the most vulnerable in society.
That’s why we’re investing £1.7m in this Gold Standard Scheme, helping councils across the country learn from each other to deliver the best possible service, and ensuring that those facing the threat of losing their home get the support they need.Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1176741
Related articles
- 11 Sep
New service to support homeless people in Birmingham
A new dedicated Homeless Street Triage car will be responding to the rising number of calls reporting homelessness, begging and anti-social drinking in the city, reports 24dash.In the last year –...
- 09 Sep
Gym in Kent hopes to improve health and fitness of homeless people
Riverside is a specialist in working with single homeless people to help them get their lives back on track and into accommodation. Their new project, a gymnasium, has been funded by the Riverside...
- 08 Sep
The cost of homelessness in Hackney doubles
Figures have shown that the cost of homelessness in 2009/10 was £3,092,255 compared to £7,167,440 in 2014/15, with a cut on staff spending from £3,239,653 to £2,608,491 reports 24dash.Hackney...
- 04 Sep
Two homelessness services to be investigated
The Scottish Housing Regulator is set to investigate every aspect of services offered by Dumfries and Galloway Council, whilst also examining how homeless people access help and support at Scottish...
- 03 Sep
Homeless project for young people under threat due to cuts
Platform for Life was expected to attract interest from numerous housing associations with its scheme to convert properties into accommodation for young people in further education, training or work,...
- 01 Sep
Charities warns Irish government of homelessness crisis
Social Justice Ireland is calling for a new funding system that will meet the demand and reveal that only 20 council homes for families have been completed within the first three months of this year,...
- 26 Aug
Newspaper office to become a centre for homeless people
The old office for the Doncaster Free Press is being transformed into flats and other facilities for people who are homeless, reports Hold the Front Page. The building is being turned into...
- 20 Aug
Cuts leaving people in Cheltenham needing homelessness support
Bosses at CCP and Cheltenham Borough Council have said the “devastating impact” of benefit cuts in the town are causing issues for many people, report the Gloucestershire Echo.Over the past few...
- 19 Aug
Concern that homelessness in Cambridge is at ‘tipping point’
Not only do figures show a rise in quarterly numbers by 24 households, they also reveal that over 350 cases were placed in temporary accommodation over the last year, which was a rise of 50 cases on...
- 11 Aug
Charities say Wales is “setting an example” for homelessness
A joint report by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has praised Welsh laws that are trying to address the issues of homelessness, reports the BBC.However they warn that the removal of...
Revenue Optimisation "I am really impressed with Support Solutions and how small organisations are supported with information and training" Susan Harrison (Tenant Support Services)
