Think people (not problems) to address homelessness issues

There are 320,000 homeless people in Britain today and about 1,000 people being made homeless every month. With a recent study showing at least 440 homeless people died in the UK between October 2017 and October 2018, Laura Furness, Head of Funding at The National Lottery Community Fund, considers what action we can take to help those in our community at risk of becoming a statistic.

It's hard, it's time consuming, it may not lead to immediate results, but by working in genuine partnership, where all parties work to a common goal and support each other’s progress and challenges, we can provide better and more effective pathways out of homelessness.

There are so many different organisations and services that people need to work with in order to get out of homelessness and that's before you bring in services for other co-existing needs. Reducing siloed working can also include shared learning.

The National Lottery Community Fund has a wealth of knowledge and learnings to share from the many programmes and community projects it’s funded.

Charity sector consultancy and think tank New Philanthropy Capital recently published research into how funding can support the collective aim to tackle homelessness.

The Birmingham Changing Futures programme offers the No Wrong Door Network - a group of networked agencies committed to information-sharing and common approaches and standards in supporting people with complex needs, ensuring people can access a whole system of support through one referral form.

Other examples are Multi Agency Review Boards in the West Yorkshire area and practice development units in Opportunity Nottingham. Here’s a thought - what if we worked together to pool all of this knowledge and learnings into one central super resource?

When commissioning, funding or designing systems, consult those who have lived experience of homelessness and can give you an informed opinion on if your plans will or won't work. National Lottery funded project, Voices of Stoke, now has an independent Expert Citizens group.

In 2016, the Expert Citizens carried out a mystery shopper exercise into access to primary healthcare for homeless people. Their Gatekeeper Report found almost 48% of GPs said they wouldn’t register a person with no fixed abode.

This research led to some practical changes, such as cards which homeless people could use to alert GPs to guidance around their obligations. While the long term impact still remains to be seen, the activity showed some real gaps in the system.

Ongoing support, tailored to what each individual needs, is crucial. Think about what you need to have a fulfilled life, and relate the spirit of that to the person who is homeless. It may be meeting needs around physical or mental health, gender specific or BAME support or social needs, but it is key to longer term success.

Inspiring Change Manchester are working to further understand the link between mental health and homelessness to be able to shape services, which will work better for people who are facing more than one issue at a time. This isn’t limited to people who are homelessness – none of us are single issue entities.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s beneficiaries often report that some services or parts of the system make them feel as though they are facing certain issues by choice. I’m advocating that we should see the person and try to understand what they want first.

Stigma can stop people from accessing support services and make things even harder for people already experiencing horrendous times. Fulfilling Lives recently ran a campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination, and raise awareness of what people face by encouraging people to See the Full Picture. This is something that all of us can try to achieve in our day to day lives.

If you see a homeless person on your way home today, try giving them a smile, stop and chat or even offer a cup of tea or sandwich. Sometimes this humanity is what helps them get through the day. Also, consider putting the Streetlink app on your phone so that if you see someone in trouble or at risk, you can notify local services via the app.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s strategic programme Fulfilling Lives funds local partnerships in 12 areas across England to find out more about how joined up and person-centered services benefits people with multiple and complex needs, including homelessness.

To learn more about Fulfilling Lives, visit the programme page.