Facilitating multi agency working for homeless families

1
Facilitating multi agency working for homeless
families

• Jane Cook
• Nurse Advisor

2

• Those who approach the problems of family
• homelessness purely as a housing issue will try
  to
• solve it purely as a housing issue. This is a
• simple but ultimately ineffective approach
• without paying equal attention to the
• personal/social side of the homelessness
• equation, it would achieve little more than
  moving
• families problems behind doors.
• Taylor Gambits (2000)

3

• In England, over 100 000 households,
• including 116 581 children are now in
• temporary accommodation.
• O.D.P.M. December 2004

4

• A quarter of all homelessness is due to
• relationship breakdowns with 70 involving
• domestic violence.
• B.M.E. families are over represented
• amongst homeless families. In 2002 they
• made up 22 of all homeless families who are
• homeless as opposed to 8 of the population as a
• whole.

5
Causes of homelessness

• Domestic violence
• Relationship breakdown
• Debt
• Mortgage/rent arrears
• Eviction
• Anti-social behaviour
• Harassment
• Overcrowding

• More likely to have had
• histories of
• Abuse
• Living in care
• Being on the at risk register

6
The impact of homelessness

• Loss of security and control
• Overcrowding
• Mobility
• Isolation
• Deskills
• Causes a loss of confidence and self-esteem
• Can institutionalise
• Disruption of education

• Loss of
• Family
• Friends
• Community
• People need to stay
• connected

7

• Homeless children living in temporary
• accommodation on average miss out on a
• quarter of their schooling.
• Shelter Living in Limbo Shelter 2004
• Children with learning disabilities and
• educational special needs are over
• represented in this population.
• Homelessness is seen as an indicator of severe
• poverty.

8
Impact on the health of adults

• High rates of mental health problems (up to 50)
• Respiratory problems
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• High rates of stress
• Antenatal and postnatal problems
• High rates of smoking

• Gastric problems

9
Impact on the health of children

• Respiratory problems
• Infectious diseases
• Skin problems
• Gastro-intestinal problems
• Severe developmental and speech delay
• Behavioural problems
• High rates of accidents

• High rates of psychiatric problems (estimated at
  30
• Twice as likely to be admitted to hospital

10
What is needed

• Public health approach
• An inter-agency approach
• Cross-sector approach in planning
• Homelessness strategy
• Named person at PCT
• Multi-disciplinary working
• Needs led
• Audits
• Consultation
• Assessment of need individual and families
• A notification system

• Practical help
• Childcare
• Key worker
• Referral criteria
• Advocates
• Training
• Developing life skills
• Information
• Advice
• Consultation

11
Key to success

• Partnership approach
• Public health approach
• Single set of priorities
• Shared positive outcomes
• Shared inequality indicator
• Tackle wider determinants of health
• Health Equity Audits

12
Housing

• ..housing is more than economics, it is a
• matter of humanity and morality, as well as
• economics.
• Housing is a moral issue A statement from the
  Department for Social
• Responsibility of the Catholic Bishops
  Conference of England and
• Wales 1985