Tackling Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Forum

Before proceedings get underway, this short explainer session will explore how you can get the most out of our new next generation Conference platform.

Our IG Team will run through how to make virtual connections, creating networking meet ups, accessing content on demand and how to use our new Q&A, chat functions and virtual polling tools.

• Examining the role of health services in supporting people experiencing homelessness and preventing homelessness
• Highlighting the impact of severe and multiple disadvantages on health outcomes for rough-sleepers and people at risk of homelessness
• Sharing how health and housing services can collaborate to support people tin recovering from homelessness

• Discussing Shelter’s analysis of the official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures
• Examining the long-term impact of additional Government funding during the pandemic
• Highlighting how the end of Covid-protections, such as the eviction ban and “Everyone In” scheme impacted people at risk of homeless
• Sharing how to apply lessons learned during Covid-19 to improve support for rough-sleepers and people at risk of homelessness and provide a “Roadmap Out of Homelessness”

• Sharing best practice for effective multi-agency working to support rough-sleepers and people at risk of homelessness
• Examining the statutory duty to refer, and how to work effectively with LHAs
• Discussing how to integrate a multi-agency approach into service delivery

In response to the government’s “Everyone In” order in 2020, Birmingham City Council adopted the Protect Programme, sharing responsibility and resources across 8 partner agencies to support rough sleepers. This session will provide key insights into:

• Best practices for effective partnership working to support rough sleepers and people at risk of homelessness, including those with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) status
• The impact of a focus on prevention on the outcomes for people at risk of homelessness, and the role of an open access point for vulnerable homeless people in improving access to services
• Lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic
• What this scheme can tell us about the future of services to prevent homelessness and and resolve rough sleeping

This session will examine the inquiry into whether the Government is on track to meet its manifesto commitment to ‘end the blight of rough sleeping’ by the end of this Parliament, including its call for evidence from people with direct experience of homelessness, and from organisations in the homelessness sector. This inquiry will look at the Government’s progress on this commitment to date, and to ensure that rough sleeping in England is rare, brief and non-recurrent.

Back on Track work with adults who are going through a process of recovery or rehabilitation, and support around 700 people every year who are facing multiple disadvantage. This could be; managing problematic drug/alcohol use, living a crime-free life, improving mental health and wellbeing, or finding and maintaining a stable home. This session will provide insights into:

• Best practice for coproduction and service delivery that supports people with multiple disadvantages to be better able to access service
• The importance of education and empowerment in supporting people to make lasting change
• The impact of improving access to services on outcomes for people with multiple disadvantages

Following a 58% increase in homelessness over five years, Maidstone Borough Council took a proactive approach to tackling homelessness using data analytics in 2019. Working with partners, the council designed and implemented OneView, a data analytics tool that brings together data from different services to effectively identify those at risk of homelessness. This session will provide key insights into:

• How OneView was developed alongside private sector partners to reduce the time spent gathering information, and provide a holistic “single view” of households
• The impact of OneView’s “at risk” alerts on the provision of early help services, demand for temporary accommodation, and outcomes for people at risk of homelessness
• Best practice for effective partnership working to use data analytics to support early help services and prevent homelessness

*programme subject to change